To Have a Home
by beksta
Summary: With the help of Severus Snape, the Dursleys raise Harry as their son with the knowledge that he is magical. However when, at the age of seven, a magical bond forms between Harry and Hermione Granger life becomes very difficult, especially when he finds himself falling for one of his closest male friends. HP/SF Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Morning light shone through a gap in the blinds and Petunia Dursley blinked. She'd been awake for some time now. She'd sat up for several hours reading the book Vernon had bought her for her birthday, made herself a glass of warm milk and even tried counting sheep but nothing had helped her go back to sleep. The problem was that, try as she might, she could not stop thinking about her younger sister, Lily.

She was quite sure that it was Vernon's fault that she hadn't slept well; after all he was the one who'd mentioned Lily for the first time in years and had then spent all of last night tossing and turning, muttering about 'bloody cats' and _Harry Potter_.

This was not only unexpected but, Vernon bringing up Lily so casually in conversation made Petunia feel terrible. She had spent the last few years of her life trying to forget that she even had a sister. It just hurt too much. Of course she would like to reconcile with her sister but, it was too late now, she had Dudley to think of. Having people like _the Potters_ around would just be far too dangerous and even if it weren't, Petunia would never apologize; it was a matter of principle, she hadn't really even done anything wrong.

Petunia would, of course, not back down. However, if Lily turned up on Petunia's doorstep apologizing for the wrong she'd done, and begging for her sister's forgiveness there was no doubt that Petunia would have accepted the apology immediately.

_OOOOO_

The cool morning air took Petunia by surprise as she opened the front door; she pulled the neck of her dressing gown tighter, and holding the door only a fraction of the way open; she glanced up and down the street, checking that no one was up to see her in her pyjamas. Satisfied that none of the neighbours were up she opened the door fully and bent to place the empty milk bottles on the doorstep.

Being so preoccupied with not being seen her in her pyjamas, Petunia didn't even notice the small bundle on the doorstep at first. It wasn't until the baby rolled in its blankets that Petunia looked up, shrieking in surprise.

The baby opened its eyes and blinked bemusedly.

Petunia shrieked again and dropped a milk bottle, it smashed on the doorstep. There was a long, drawn out silence as the glass tinkled against the pavement and then the baby started crying, thick tears rolling down its cheeks as he squirmed, bawling louder and louder.

Petunia looked up, noticing that one of the neighbours had switched on their bedroom light; she scooped up the bundle and rushed into the kitchen where she set the child down on the table. Not wanting to wake Vernon or Dudley, Petunia hurriedly un-wrapped the child from his blankets and rocked him in her arms, making quiet, soothing noises. The baby smiled, stopped crying and, almost as though he had been told what to do, he held out a letter clasped tightly in his fat fist.

Petunia took the letter and gently put the child in her son's highchair. The envelope was addressed in green cursive handwriting to a _'Mrs Petunia Dursley'_.

The writing seemed oddly familiar and whilst she was sure she had seen it before, Petunia couldn't remember when or where, as though she was trying to put a name to a face she hadn't seen in decades.

She opened the envelope pulled out a thick, heavy parchment.

Unfolding the letter Petunia began to read;

_Mrs. Dursley, _

_I sincerely hope that you have received the dreadful news prior to your receiving of this letter. However, if you have not then it is my regrettable duty to inform you of the death of your sister and brother in-law. _

_Lily and James have, for some time now, known that their lives were in danger and, sadly on the night of the thirty first of October Lord Voldemort forced his way into their home and killed them both. However, when Voldemort turned his wand on your nephew, Harry, the spell somehow rebounded, destroying Voldemort in Harry's place._

_The reason that Voldemort could not kill your nephew is, I believe, because Lily offered up her life in exchange for her son's. At present, many supporters of Voldemort will most likely be plotting to do terrible things to your nephew and I beseech you; do not let them harm him. When your sister died she invoked an ancient and powerful magic, Harry will be safe as long as he can say that his home is with you, his true family. _

_The magic invoked by your sister will protect everyone who has blood ties to Lily, however when the day comes that Harry can no longer say his home is with you, the wards will fail. Harry will no longer have protection and nor will you or your son._

_I trust you will treat Harry as you would your own son. If you cannot, or will not, take your nephew in out of the goodness of your heart, then I implore you do it for your sister. What would Lily do were your roles reversed? Removing the boy from your household will not stop you from becoming a target for dark wizards, you and your family are already in grave danger and have been ever since Voldemort set his sights on the Potter family._

_I speak as a man who lost his sister and parents at a young age, when I say my thoughts are with you at this dark time. We, the entire wizarding community, are deeply saddened by the deaths of Lily and James; we have taken a great hit. They were loving, talented people who were taken from us long before their time, they will be dearly missed. We are taking measures to bring those responsible to justice. When the time of Voldemort's second rising comes, I assure you I will be on the front line facing the criminals that took the lives of so many young and innocent people. _

_I beg you to not let your sister's sacrifice be in vain._

_If you ever need to contact me, send an envelope addressed plainly to 'Albus Dumbledore' by normal muggle post. Harry also has a small pot of powder on his person, the pot contains the amount needed for three Floo calls, simply throw a pinch of the powder into a lit fireplace and call the name of the wizard or witch you wish to speak to._

_With Sympathy,_

_Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

Petunia re-read the letter several times before the information even began to sink in. Her sister's name echoed ominously around her head. _Lily dead?_

How could Lily be dead? The day before yesterday she was alive, how could she now, so suddenly, be dead?

At first, Petunia refused to believe it. She would know if her baby sister had died, it would be impossible for her to not. She should have felt _something_, despite the differences between them. It was just too much to believe that yesterday she had carried on as normal whilst her sister was dead.

Despite her adamant refusal to believe Lily dead, a traitorous little voice in the back of her head insisted that it must be true, why would Harry be here if not? Lily loved her son as much as Petunia loved Dudley; there was no way that she would leave Harry alone under any circumstance other than her own death. And what reason would Professor Dumbledore have to lie about it?

Petunia gulped, feeling a lump rise in her throat, her eyes stung but tears were refusing to fall. How could she not have known? Surely, she'd have felt something when Lily's life was snubbed out, a pain in her heart or a sudden emptiness.

The emptiness came now; her heart felt heavy and her body hollow. Lily, her baby sister, was dead. Petunia hadn't told her in years that she loved her, not since Lily left school. What if she'd died thinking Petunia hated her?

Petunia could remember the day she was born as though it was yesterday, she'd always wanted a little sister. Her Father had taken her to the hospital to see the new baby and even then, Lily had been beautiful, with a small tuft of red hair, striking green eyes and a magical aura about her. Petunia had been young at the time, only three, and even then she'd promised to protect her baby sister at all costs.

Did this mean she'd failed? Failed as a big sister, Lily had died thinking Petunia hated her. No one hated Lily; even that awful Severus boy loved Lily.

Petunia made a strangled sobbing sound, but still no tears came. The baby was sleeping now. _Harry James Potter,_ the reason her sister died. Petunia couldn't look at him. He looked too much like his father and yet somehow felt like Lily, Petunia knew that when he opened his eyes she would see Lily's eyes looking back at her.

Petunia clenched her fists, slamming them hard against the table. _Why?_ She couldn't even begin to comprehend it.

The man that had killed her was dead; shouldn't she be grateful for that? Petunia just felt hollow, no amount of retribution would bring Lily back, and no torture could make Voldemort pay enough.

Petunia stared at the baby, Lily's baby. The baby her sister had loved enough to die for. What should she do? The child, Harry, reminded her so much of Lily, it would hurt to look at him day after day and yet to treat him as anything less than a son would be an insult to Lily's memory. He looked so much like James though; the man who'd stolen Lily away. Could she ever look at the boy and not be reminded of how she had failed her sister?

Petunia was vaguely aware of Vernon coming into the kitchen. He said something to her but she didn't hear what. Her ears were ringing, the words from Dumbledore's letterechoing around her mind.

Vernon asked something again, Petunia didn't answer. She felt him take the letter from her hand and made no move to stop him. Her mind continued to whirl.

She felt her husband's hand on her shoulder, it squeezed tightly conveying everything words could not, '_I'm sorry' 'I wish I could do something' _and _'I love you'_.

The haze in Petunia's mind faded as Vernon kissed her on the cheek. "I'll phone work, they'll understand. I'll take Dudders out of the way for today, give you some time." He kissed her again and added. "Do you want me to take the boy as well?"

Petunia shook her head numbly and choked out a word sounding vaguely like, "Thank you."

Vernon patted her on the shoulder once more and made her a cup of tea before leaving the room to wake their son.

Petunia gripped the mug, not caring that it scalded her hands. How could Vernon be so understanding? After what she'd done, how could anyone forgive her? She'd cast away her baby sister, let pride get in the way of family love, and now look; Lily was dead.

Tears still wouldn't fall; Petunia felt anger bubbling up inside her. How could Dumbledore possibly understand? She'd deserted her own sister, the sister she'd vowed to protect. How could anyone understand how she felt?

_Why_ did Lily have to die?

Petunia had always heard that the best way to deal with grief was by talking to people, but who could possibly understand what she was going through. They'd sit and nod their heads offering empty sympathetic words, but not really understanding.

No one had loved Lily like she had, not even Potter, and only two other people could even claim that they knew her as well as her, Potter and Severus. Petunia grimaced, letting out another broken sobbing sound.

Dumbledore had asked her to look after Harry but she didn't _have_ to love him. If she told Vernon that the boy was a danger to their family, he wouldn't condemn her. He would probably even agree with her that Harry should be kept at a distance, but Petunia wasn't sure if she could do it again. Not after how she'd treated Lily, Harry might be her last chance to make it up to her.

Harry opened his eyes and began crying again, the cry was the same as Lily's when she was that age. Before she even knew what she was doing Petunia had the baby cradled in her arms, gently rocking him. "Don't cry, don't d-don't, please shh, shh, shh."

"Ma? Mummy?" The baby began to scream for his mother, his voice getting higher and louder.

Petunia wanted to scream, to hit something, to kill something.

"_Mummy!_"

"Shhh, Harry, I've got you."

"Where Ma?" Harry kicked his legs, and his screams rose, his face turning red.

"Shhh, shhh," Petunia rocked him. "Shh, Harry, be quiet." Petunia fell to her knees, putting the baby on the floor next to her and clamping her hands over her ears. He just wouldn't be quiet, his cries seemed echo around the room, sounding so much like Lily's as a baby. Petunia began breathing jaggedly. "No, please, no just shh. Please."

Harry stopped screaming but Petunia kept her hands clamped over her ears, her head against her knees still muttering her mantra, "No, no, shh, be quiet."

Petunia felt a small hand touch her knee. "Me-haw."

"Pardon?"

Harry looked up at her, tears glistening in his green eyes, so much like Lily's. "_Me_ Haw"

"You're Harry." Harry nodded. "I'm your Aunt Petunia, Harry; I'll be looking after you from now on." Petunia picked up Harry, once again cradling him in her arms.

A small purple box fell from one of the blankets; Petunia picked it up and slid the lid off. Inside was a small amount of silver powder. Petunia felt her heart begin to race, still cradling the child she ran to the living room and lit a small fire in the hearth, then grabbed a pinch and flicked it into the fire, calling out, "Severus Snape."

Petunia leapt away as the flames rose, and stood watching the fire from across the room; Harry glanced over at the flames and screeched in delight, "Pafoo'? Mooey? Wommy?"

Petunia couldn't understand what Harry was saying so didn't respond, instead staring intently at the fire. The flames whooshed again and a figure fell from the hearth.

The man stood up and brushed his robes, looking anywhere but at Petunia. His face was paler than usual, his features more gaunt, his black eyes looked hollow and a steady stream of tears rolled down his face.

"Severus." Petunia gasped, falling into the younger man's arms. "You've heard?"

He opened his mouth, as though he were about to speak, and closed it again. Instead, he nodded once and brushed the tears from his face with the back of his hand. Severus patted her awkwardly on the back and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm…" A strangled sob cut him off. "I'm s-so sorry."

Severus slumped onto the sofa and attempted to wipe the tears from his face while Petunia watched uncomfortably. Before her sat a man who could silence a room with a look. Even as children nothing had ever seemed to faze him, and yet here he was sitting on her sofa gasping for air. His face contorted in pain and misery, tears dripping from the end of his nose.

She had never seen a more broken man; his sobs were choked and throttled, his entire body shaking. He looked completely deflated; his eyes a bloodshot red colour his face still pale and twisted in pain.

Petunia moved over to him and patted him on the back, he shifted away uncomfortably, "I don't… deserve your sympathy it's my fault all… all my fault."

"No, it was that man, Voldemort, he… did this." Petunia's voice cracked

Severus flinched when Petunia said 'Voldemort' but continued to sob. "No… No, my fault, all mine… I told him about the prophecy… that's why he wanted her."

"You what?"

"It's my fault… all my fault."

"PAFOO'." Harry bellowed.

Snape glanced at Harry and growled. "I'll kill him too… she trusted him… she trusted him… that… that bastard was worse than me… he knew… he KNEW… he let her die… I'll kill him… I'll kill him then throw myself… o-off of the astronomy tower."

Anger flashed across Petunia's face. "My baby sister has just been killed…" She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth, realising that this was the first time she had said it aloud. "She's dead… she's dead. Oh, _Lily_."

Petunia's throat started hurting more than ever, her lip trembled and she took in another jagged breath. "Lily, my little sister, she's dead."

The damn burst. Petunia felt all of her bottled up feelings come out at once. Hot prickly tears flowed quickly down her face, down her nose, dripping from her chin and staining her pyjama top. She hadn't even realized she was still wearing her nightwear. Normally, she'd have been embarrassed, but right now she could feel nothing but sorrow and grief.

She could feel each sob, each jagged breath shaking her body. Petunia couldn't decide what was worse, the hollowness or the overwhelming grief.

She sat next to Severus on the sofa, clasping Harry protectively to her chest, sobbing desperately into the baby's thick black hair. Harry made no move to get out of the way of his aunts tears; he wrapped his small arms around Petunias neck and leaned forward, snuggling against her chest.

Severus and Petunia sat together on the sofa for several hours mourning the death of Harry's mother, whilst the orphan slept comfortably in Petunia's arms. The two once-enemies, united by the loss and sorrow they felt at the death of Lily Potter.

Harry opened his eyes again and began screaming. Petunia and Severus both looked up at once. Harry glanced between the two crying adults and held his arms out to Severus. Confusion crossed his face as Petunia held Harry out to him. Severus shook his head a fraction and Petunia frowned. "Look at his eyes, Severus. You remember… Lily's eyes don't you?"

"I know, Albus told me… it hurts so much to look at them. How… how can you bare to look?"

Petunia nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "I have a choice, Severus, I don't have to raise him as my son. I can ignore him treat him like a freak… like… like how I treated her… when she went to school."

"Can you go through this again? He _will_ go to Hogwarts… there's no doubt about it… but can you do that to… _Her_ son?"

Petunia sniffed. "If it had been you… If he had been put… on your doorstep, would you take him willingly?"

"He's Potter's son." Severus rubbed his eyes. "You don't understand, I hate… hated Potter, more than anything… more than even Black."

"He's as much Lily's as he is James'." Petunia argued stroking Harry's hair.

"You don't hate him, though."

Petunia laughed mirthlessly. "I hated James more than you could know, Severus. He took my little sister away, and let her fight Voldemort. She died protecting _his_ son."

"But you're not going to treat him like a freak are you?"

"I can't, not again. He's Lily's baby. I won't let her sacrifice be in vain, I'll bring him up to know how wonderful his mummy was. I'll tell him bedtime stories about the great Lily Evans, how she conquered evil and bravely gave her life so her son could live. We'll drink toasts to her, celebrate her life I won't let him forget her." Petunia wiped tears from her cheek again and blew her nose on a hankie.

"I don't know if I could ever do that."

"If you truly loved my sister, you would." She insisted.

"That's what Dumbledore said… but how? It hurts so much… I can't even bare to say her name."

"The pain is good, Severus. It shows you how much you loved her… you wouldn't feel like this for just anyone."

"I've _never_ felt like this, not even when my own mother passed. The Dark Lord is gone, we should be rejoicing, but I can't. I don't know if I'll ever be happy again. I don't know if I can stand the pain."

"If you want to redeem yourself, Severus, then you must. For Lily… she wouldn't want you like this… you need to stay strong if you're going to protect her son."

Those two words cut through Severus like a knife, '_for Lily'._ "She hated me, she wouldn't care."

Tears spilled down Petunia's cheeks and anger flashed through her. "How _dare_ you? My sister could never hate anyone, especially not you, Severus Snape. Even now I doubt she hates Voldemort; there wasn't a hateful bone in her body."

"I called her _Mudblood_."

"When we were children I called her a freak, unnatural, a monster. But she still sent me a Christmas card every year, still sent me a gift for my birthday, she was at my wedding, and Dudders' christening, and I never thanked her. I treated her like I hated her, and she still forgave me, so don't you go away with the idea that my sister hated _you_."

Severus blinked in surprise and for the first time, since he had heard the news of Lily's death, stopped crying. He nodded once and took Harry from Petunias' arms. "This boy is hungry, do you have any food for him. I will not allow… L-Lily's' son to go hungry."

Petunia blew her nose on her sodden handkerchief and nodded. "Go into the kitchen, Severus, I need to change out of my pyjamas, I'll join you shortly."

When Petunia walked into the kitchen five minutes later, she found Harry in Dudley's highchair and Severus with his back to Harry and prodding the buttons on the microwave. Harry giggled in delight and Severus turned around clearing his throat, and said in a somewhat detached voice. "Petunia, I can't get your cooking machine to work."

_OOOOO_

Vernon returned home at five o'clock with a very tired looking Dudley in tow. He was shocked to find Severus at the table, feeding a very happy looking Harry puréed pear.

"Afternoon." Vernon said gruffly, holding out his hand.

Severus smiled politely. "Good afternoon… Mr. Dursley." He took Vernon's hand.

"Good handshake, very firm. I didn't quite catch your name."

Severus nodded. "Severus Snape pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Very good, are you a friend of Petunia's?" He glanced at his wife, who had just poured out a pot of tea.

"We knew each other as children. Lily was my best friend until the end of our fifth year at school."

"Ah, so you're…" Vernon rubbed his chin as he glanced at Harry's scar and then back at Severus.

"Yes, I have recently been offered a job teaching at the school Lily and I attended. I start in September."

Vernon looked lost as he turned to Petunia. "But I thought…?" He left his question hanging.

"Severus has agreed to help us raise Harry, for Lily's sake. He will be Harry's uncle, or the godfather he no longer has."

Vernon paled. "His godfather was killed too?"

Petunia shook her head sadly and anger flashed across Severus' face. "No. Lily and her husband knew the Dark Lord, the wizard that killed them, was after them so they went into hiding. Professor Dumbledore, the man who brought Harry to you, cast a special spell for them. Their house was hidden with magic and the only person who could disclose their location to anyone, was Harry's godfather. He told the Dark Lord their location." Severus said, his teeth gritted in anger.

"He betrayed them?" Vernon asked sliding into the chair next to Severus.

"Worse, we just got the news this afternoon. Black, Harry's godfather, was like a brother to Harry's father. His family disowned him and Harry's grandparents took him in as their own son when he was sixteen. Potter trusted Black with his life, so much so that when they went into hiding Potter and Lily agreed to put their lives in his hands. He betrayed them. When one of the Potters' other friends heard the news he was so mad with grief, he went after Black. Pettigrew never stood a chance; Black blew him to pieces along with twelve muggles who just happened to be there." Severus finished bitterly.

"No, you don't mean that- that gas leak that was on the radio this afternoon wasn't a gas leak at all?"

"It was Black. All they found of Pettigrew was a single finger. When they took him away he was laughing. He killed Lily and laughed about it." Severus looked stricken

"Why did this Dark Lord go after them in the first place?"

Severus looked tearful again and was about to answer when Petunia placed a cup of tea in front of the two men and began to speak. "He was afraid that Harry would grow up to defeat him, he wanted to kill him before Harry was old enough to do any damage. Lily and James were in the way, they weren't going to let someone hurt their son, so Voldemort decided that he had to kill them too."

Severus, looking torn between sorrow and gratitude, nodded his head at Petunia in thanks, stood up and said. "I will take my leave now. Thank you Petunia, I don't think I could have coped today without you, I will make it up to you."

Petunia smiled and Vernon placed a hand on Severus' shoulder. "You're not off anywhere. Stay for tea."

"I couldn't possibly intrude on your hospitality any longer, Mr. Dursley."

"Nonsense, Snape, I can see you loved Petunia's sister dearly. Stay, we won't be having much, just a takeaway. I'm useless in the kitchen and I can't let Petunia cook today. We'll eat and make a toast to the Potters."

_OOOOO_

Petunia smiled at the two men who sat at the dining room table, arguing over who was going to pay for the meal when it arrived. Vernon was adamant that guest shouldn't have to pay, but Severus was refusing to allow it, "You've been excellent hosts, it's the least I can do."

"I'm taking the boys up to bed." Petunia announced.

"Where's Harry sleeping?" Vernon asked.

"I've put him in with Dud for now. Severus conjured him a bed."

Vernon nodded, seemingly unfazed by the blatant use of magic in his home. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I won't be long. Dudders has had it; he can barely keep his eyes open. And I bet Harry's tired out too, he's had a long day."

"Just give me shout if you want me to come up."

Petunia smiled and picked up the two boys, one cradled in each arm.

As Petunia made her way out of the room and up the stairs, Dudley yawned and Harry blinked tiredly up at her. She couldn't stop the sobs this time. It should have been Lily who was taking Harry up to his room, tucking him in, giving him a kiss and singing a lullaby.

How could so much change in two days? Just two days ago Harry was a normal boy living at home with his mum and dad, and within forty eight hours, he'd gone from Normal-Harry Potter to Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, world famous orphan.

Petunia kissed Dudley's forehead and pulled his blankets up. "Night, night sweetie."

She turned to Harry's crib and laid the boy down. "Sleep tight Harry, your Mummy and Daddy are up there watching you now." She kissed him on the forehead and turned to close the curtains.

Harry mumbled something, smiled and then murmured. "An Tuney"

Petunia felt her eyes well up again, no one had called her 'Tuney' since Lily had gone to Hogwarts. She tenderly brushed Harry's hair away from his face and kissed him again, reaching out with her other hand to stroke her son's head.

She took the hands of her two _sons_ and sadly began to sing them to sleep.

**AN: This story will probably not be what you expect, there will be **_**slash in later chapters**_** and after third year the story will be very different to cannon. Although this story is a nice Dursley/Snape story I ****do not**** plan on 'Dumbledore/Weasley bashing' and will be trying as hard as I can to keep everyone in character whilst making some allowances for the changes such as Harry having a family and Severus liking Harry.**

**I'd also just like to thank my beta Bitch Goddess.**

**Thanks for reading **

**-beksta**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Nearly _six_ years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursley's front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. There had once been a lot of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bonnets_. Six years on from that night the photographs showed two boys; Dudley and Harry on a carousel at the fair, Dudley and Harry tearing into presents on Christmas day, and the two boys playing a board game with their Uncle Severus.

Both boys were still asleep as the sun rose, illuminating the now empty mantelpiece, but not for long.

Harry was the first to be woken by his Aunt Petunia's shrill voice, "_Up! Get up!_ You should've been up hours ago; we only have three hours left. Get dressed quickly, I've made bacon and you won't want to eat it cold."

Harry woke with a start as his aunt rapped on his bedroom door again. He heard her turn and walk down the hallway, rapping on Dudley's door and calling the same thing. _He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before._

His aunt was back outside the door. "Harry, come on now, if you don't get up now you won't have time for breakfast before we set off."

Harry sat up in bed, startled, "I completely forgot. Today's the day, isn't it?"

He heard his aunt sigh from outside the room, "Yes, your Uncle Severus will be here in an hour. I want you dressed and fed by then."

"Sorry Aunt Tuney, I'll be down in a minute."

"Good. I've laid out some clothes on your bedroom floor; don't go unpacking any of the boxes to find anything, we don't have the time."

"Right." Harry said.

How could he have forgotten? Today was the day of the big move; he'd been looking forward to it for months. All of his things were stacked in boxes, and just yesterday, he and Dudley had been talking about the new house. They'd been the ones to choose it in the end; they'd even already picked out their new bedrooms.

Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for his clothes. He found them in a small pile at the end of the bed and picked them up, placing them on the box he'd been using as a bedside table for the past week.

When he was dressed, he went down the stairs and into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all of the food Aunt Petunia had put out.

Aunt Petunia always made too much food. Harry had always been small and skinny for his age, and Aunt Petunia liked trying to get him to eat second helpings at every meal, but it didn't work. Unlike Dudley, who'd always had to watch what he ate; Harry never seemed to gain weight. He had similar problems with his hair. Once he'd gone to the wedding of one of Uncle Vernon's colleagues and Aunt Petunia had made him shave his hair off, but the next day when he woke up his hair had re-grown, just as messy and out of place as ever. His aunt had said it was nothing to worry about, after all Uncle Sev did magic like that all the time.

_Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair and bright green eyes._ _He wore round glasses_, the same style he'd always worn, even when his prescription changed, because his aunt liked them best. She chose most of his clothes and so Harry couldn't see what was wrong with her choosing his glasses as well.

The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead, shaped like a bolt of lightning. He thought it looked cool. Uncle Sev agreed and said that it distinguished him from the other Potters. Aunt Petunia said Severus was being childish and that Harry's eyes were his nicest feature. Harry secretly disagreed with her; he thought his eyes were far too girly, although he'd never say this aloud for fear of hurting his aunt's feelings.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen just as Harry was adding ketchup to his bacon, "Ah there you are. Your aunt has asked me to give you this." Vernon held out a small pink travel sickness tablet.

Harry pulled a face, "No thanks Uncle Vernon, those are awful."

Uncle Vernon frowned, "You don't have a choice. You're not getting in the car if you haven't. I don't want you being sick again like last time, if you remember you were sitting behind me."

Harry looked contemplative, "How about I don't take it and promise not to be sick?"

"You can't promise not to get sick, you always get car sick, even on short journeys."

"But I really, really, really, really don't like them." Harry whined.

Vernon sighed, "I'll mix it into a cup of tea for you."

"I only like tea with ten sugars." Harry pouted and crossed his arms, eyeing the sugar pot greedily.

"I'll put two in like I normally do; you won't even be able to taste the tablet."

Harry chewed his lower lip and nodded, "If I'm not sick I can have an ice cream when we get to this new house right?"

Vernon chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair, "I'm going to get started packing the car. Don't forget to drink your tea. Do you know where your brother's got to?"

"Still in bed." Harry said spooning grapefruit into his mouth.

Vernon frowned, "Why don't you save your grapefruit until after you've done with your bacon and eggs."

Harry shrugged. "I like them together."

"Right, don't talk with your mouthful. I'm going to go get Dud up." Vernon said, handing Harry the mug of tea, "I added some cool water for you, it's just right to drink now."

Dudley shuffled into the kitchen five minutes later, just as Harry was pouring orange juice into a glass.

Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his head. He blinked blearily at Harry and mumbled, "Could you pour me one of those too?"

_OOOOO_

The boys sat in the kitchen, slowly making their way through the mountain of food on the table until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Both boys shouted in unison jumping up and racing down the hallway. Dudley tripped over a box packed with ornaments and Harry, who got distracted laughing at his brother's misfortune, ran straight into the hat stand and fell backwards onto the floor.

Dudley reached the door first and pulled it open, "Uncle Sev!"

The two boys grinned and ran at their uncle. "Good morning." He patted both boys awkwardly on their heads. "Harry, what have you been doing? You have juice on your trousers."

Harry looked down, "I spilled it on the table."

"And _what_ were you doing on the table?"

"He was pouring juice; it's easier if you kneel on the table." Dudley said.

"Ah yes, because it would have been far too difficult to ask your parents to pour you a glass."

"Aunt Tuney is sorting stuff in her room-"

"-and Dad's gone to pack some stuff into the car."

Severus nodded, "Go clean up whilst I help your father pack his car. Then we can go to the shop to get some confectionary for your journey."

"We're ready to go now." Harry whined.

"You have tomato sauce around your mouth Harry, and Dudley; you have scrambled egg in your hair."

"Will you just use magic?" Harry asked hopefully, "I won't be able to change my trousers Aunt Petunia said I wasn't to unpack any boxes."

"Yeah if you do that then we can leave sooner." Dudley agreed.

"If you clean us with magic, Uncle Sev, I'll tell you all about my dream; _it had a talking cat in it_." Harry said enticingly as though the prospect of hearing about a talking cat would make Severus bend to his will.

Severus looked unimpressed, "You certainly did not get your skills of persuasion from your mother."

"What do you mean? Didn't you hear me right I said talking cat! _A talking cat!_ I bet you want to hear all about it, just like in "The AristoCats", but with wizards like you."

"AristoCats?" Severus asked raising an eyebrow.

"You've never seen 'The AristoCats'?" Dudley asked in amazement.

Severus shook his head.

"How about… 'Cinderella'?" Harry asked

"Pinocchio?" Dudley offered.

"Peter Pan?"

"Snow White?"

"I have not seen any of those muggle films, nor do I wish to; the names alone sound utterly ridiculous."

The two boys looked mortified, "You haven't seen any of them? Not even 'Pinocchio?"

"Not even 'Pinocchio, now run along."

"If you clean us, we'll have more time to clean up the kitchen so mum has less work." Dudley bargained.

"Should two seven-year-old boys really be left alone to clean a kitchen?" Severus asked.

"It's just plates and stuff. The food goes in the bin and then we'll stack the plates, then you can come in and wave your wand over them and make them clean." Harry said.

"So what you're suggesting is that I clean you so that I can then clean your dirty plates?" Severus sighed theatrically and flourished his wand, "I suppose I can, just this once, since today's the day of the '_big'_ move."

The two boys grinned, "We'll be done in ten minutes."

"Well, I will join you in the kitchen when you are done. Right now, I will have to go see your parents, I've promised to make everything you own fit into your father's little car."

"Well that won't be too hard, all you've got to do is wave your wand around a bit." Harry said.

Severus gritted his teeth, "Thank you for pointing that out Harry, I always wondered where I was going wrong."

_OOOOO_

Severus walked into the kitchen ten minutes later to find Harry and Dudley sitting on the floor playing with a small red fire engine.

"Where did you get that? I thought your mother packed all of your toys." Severus asked, cleaning the stacked plates with a flick of his wand.

"We forgot this one, Dudley just remembered it. We hid it in a hiding place when Piers came 'round last month. He always breaks our toys." Harry said driving the truck across Dudley's back.

"Ah, perhaps I should summon all of your toys to make sure you haven't forgotten any then."

"No, it's alright. We normally hide stuff in wardrobes and places like that. We're taking all the wardrobes with us, but this one was under the floor in the little bedroom." Dudley assured him.

"Have you packed the car, Uncle Sev?" Harry asked standing up and slipping the truck into his pocket.

"Yes."

"So can we go get travel sweets now?" Harry asked grinning at Severus.

"Not quite. Please go out into the hallway and get an empty box for me."

"Right." Harry nodded and strode out of the room, popping his head back around the corner a second later and asking, "How big?"

"It doesn't matter, I'll make everything fit." Severus assured him, pulling his wand from his robes and turning to Dudley, "I'm going to shrink everything in this room now. Will you please collect up the items as I do and place them into the box; you too, Harry." He added as Harry re-entered the room.

It took only ten minutes for Severus and the two boys to pack the content of the kitchen into the small cardboard box, Harry had retrieved from the hallway.

When they were done, Harry and Dudley looked around the kitchen sadly. It looked so much bigger now that everything was gone, and Harry found it hard to believe that it had been such a struggle to fit everyone into the kitchen last Christmas, when Aunt Marge and her friend, Colonel Fubster had visited.

Harry picked up the box and turned to leave the kitchen. "Harry, if you don't mind I'll take that box. I'm not sure what your aunt would say if you dropped it. I shudder to think."

Harry grinned and handed the box to Severus. "There you go, Uncle Sev. Can we go get sweets now?"

Severus rolled his eyes, "Very well, however I refuse to buy sherbet lemons."

"Why? Those are the best. An old man was eating them in my dream last night."

Dudley frowned, "You said you dreamed about a talking cat."

"I believe Harry actually dreamt about two of the teachers at the school I work at."

Harry blinked "How d'you know?"

"The Headmaster has a particular fondness for sherbet lemons and the Deputy Headmistress can turn into a cat."

"Can you turn into a cat, Uncle Sev?" Dudley asked.

"No. Get your coat on, I'll explain it whilst we walk to the shop."

"Promise?" Harry asked.

Severus sighed, "Yes, I promise."

"Cross your heart?"

"If you don't get your coat on I'll go without you." Severus said through gritted teeth.

Harry grinned, "I can't get my coat on. Aunt Tuney packed it yesterday. You won't go without me will you?"

Severus exhaled loudly, "You're really testing my patience, Harry."

"You never had much to start off with, Severus." Aunt Petunia said as she bustled into the kitchen carrying a small box.

"Nice for you to back me up, Petunia." Severus said frowning at her.

She smiled at him and turned to the two boys. "Don't tease your uncle like that; you know he doesn't normally even like children. You two are very lucky he's so nice to you."

Dudley looked perplexed. "He _works_ in a school."

"Yes, and I need to be back there in an hour for detention."

Harry laughed. "Who put you in detention? Was it the cat lady?"

"If you want me to come back later and un-shrink all of your possessions, I suggest you stop laughing now." Severus said sternly.

Harry looked aghast, "But if you don't un-shrink my stuff I won't be able to get any of my clothes on."

"I can shrink you to match if it bothers you."

"Can you really?" Dudley asked

"Yes."

"Go on then."

"What?"

"Shrink me. Make me smaller than a mouse." Dudley held his arms out wide and scrunched his eyes shut.

Severus looked pleadingly at Petunia who smiled and said. "Come on Duddiekins, you don't want to let him do that. Wait until your brother goes to Hogwarts, I'm sure Harry will be very good at these spells."

Dudley looked disappointed. "But I wanna get shrunk now."

Severus waved his wand over the two boy's heads and muttered something. "Did you shrink us?" Harry asked narrowing his eyes.

"No. You'd know if I'd tried to shrink you. It wouldn't have worked, but if shrinking a person was possible you'd most certainly know that you were tiny and not your normal size."

Harry thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. You'd be all big and giant-like if I was shrunked."

"You mean shrunk."

"Yeah, that. Can we get sweets now?"

Dudley nodded his head in agreement, "Can we go to the sweet shop now?"

"Come along then. Do you need anything picking up, Petunia?"

"No. We'll shop when we get to the new house. Most of the furniture is already there and I bought some food last week when I visited."

Severus nodded, "Come along boys." He strode from the room and the two boys jogged after him.

It took only ten minutes for Severus to walk the boys to the shop. The old woman, who had owned the shop for over fifteen years gave, gave each boy a quarter of Yorkshire mixture free and asked them to send her a letter from their new home.

Severus bought the boys each another bag of sweets, and a bag of sherbet lemons for Professor Dumbledore. The boys said their goodbyes to the lady behind the counter and set off back home with a bag of sweets in each pocket.

They returned to the now empty number four and waved goodbye to Severus as he Disapparated from the front doorstep. Dudley and Harry walked around the side of the house and into the garage,

"Dad, how long do we have left?" Dudley asked.

"You've got just enough time to go to the toilet and then we're off."

"Right." Dudley took a bag of sweets from his pocket and handed them to Uncle Vernon. "Mrs. Jones from the shop sent you these. She said you always like rhubarb and custard. I tried one on the way home."

Vernon chuckled as he pocketed the back of sweets, "You've got ten minutes, if you're not out by then we're off without you."

Harry and Dudley trudged into the house and spent ten minutes wandering from room to room, saying goodbye, 'Goodbye bedroom, goodbye kitchen, goodbye cupboard under the stairs.'

Uncle Vernon pulled the car up in front of the house and the two boys raced out and dove into the back seat. "Where's Aunt Tuney?"

"She just went to say goodbye to Mrs Figg."

"That old cat lady?" Dudley asked frowning.

"Yes." Uncle Vernon said popping a sweet into his mouth.

_OOOOO_

The journey seemed to take hours. Uncle Vernon spent a lot of it complaining to Aunt Petunia about 'motorcycle riding maniacs.' Harry told them about his dream and Dudley said that Severus was probably right about the people in the dream.

Vernon shook his head angrily. "Madness, absolute madness, letting a man take a one-year-old on a motorcycle, utter lunacy."

After two hours, Harry began feeling sick, he'd managed to eat his way through a full bag of jelly beans and was seriously regretting it.

"Are we nearly there?"

"No."

"Are we nearly there _yet?"_

"_No."_

After spending two hours an unmoving traffic jam Vernon swore and took a sharp left. "Who's hungry, we're stopping at McDonald's."

After their short stop for lunch they were back on the road. The traffic was no better and they sat in one queue for nearly an hour.

When they finally arrived at the new house they were tired and tempers were running high; it had taken four hours longer than planned to make the journey. After half an hour stuck behind a tractor on a long winding country road the throbbing vein in Uncle Vernon's temple had looked just about ready to burst.

Severus Apparated to the house at six o'clock; Harry spent an hour helping unpack, before vanishing. Vernon, who had been sent to find Harry, found him curled up asleep in the wardrobe of one of the spare bedrooms.

_OOOOO_

The week following the move passed rather uneventfully, Harry and Dudley weren't allowed to play anywhere but the back garden until they'd settled properly into their new home. The boys found this particularly boring since they wanted nothing more to explore the neighbourhood and make new friends. They had no chance of this because even their new neighbours were on holiday in France, and would not be due back until the end of the October holidays, and so, for the first time in their lives, Harry and Dudley were looking forward to going to school.

Aunt Petunia woke Harry and Dudley up early on Monday morning for their first day at their new school. Unusually, Dudley was up and out of bed before Harry had even put his glasses on.

The morning seemed to take forever, Dudley even threw a pancake at the clock because he was sure it was working properly; when this failed to speed up time, he threw a second pancake at Harry, because Harry had looked at the clock twice and Dudley didn't want to risk him 'magic-ing' it even slower.

The journey to school was short and both boys jumped out of the car as soon as Petunia pulled into a parking space just outside the school. The two boys were eager for Aunt Petunia to leave them and after a little encouragement from the boys' new teacher, Miss Clark, she gave each of them a kiss on the cheek, promising to be back at three o'clock sharp.

Harry thought Miss Clark seemed like a nice teacher, she seemed very smiley and happy to introduce him and Dudley to their new class, and she even sat them together at a desk near the back of the classroom.

The first lesson they had was maths and the class was doing angles, at which neither boy were very good. Harry and Dudley sat quietly, listening politely as a girl at the front of the classroom answered all of the questions the teacher asked.

At playtime, almost all of the boys in their class seemed drawn to Dudley, who was a lot bigger than most boys their age. Dudley insisted that Harry should be included in all of their games, and so both boys were drawn into a big game of bulldog played by all of the boys, and some of the girls in years three, four and five. Harry was proud to see that he was one of the only boys that had not been caught by 'the bulldog' when Mr Jones, the teacher from the other year three class, ended the game when a year four boy fell over and scraped his knee on the tarmac.

A year five boy, called David Morris, told Harry that the head teacher had banned them from playing bulldog three years ago, but apparently no one followed this rule because there was another game of bulldog at lunchtime and again during the second playtime.

The last lesson of the day for Dudley and Harry was art, at which Harry was terrible. Only one person in the whole class was as bad at art as Harry, and that was a girl who sat near the front of class. Even though the teacher had told them their drawings of flowers were 'wonderful', Dudley truthfully told Harry that his flowers looked like someone had been sick on his paper and that his bad art skills were probably something to do with him being a wizard.

Harry frowned and said, "Wizards can be good at art, you hardly know any and you've never seen a wizard draw."

Dudley packed his pens into his pencil case as the teacher dismissed the class and said, "I've seen you draw, and you can't draw very well at all, even if mum does put all your pictures on the fridge."

"_I_ can't draw, but you don't know any other people who can't draw who are also wizards." Harry argued putting on his coat and heading to the classroom door.

"I've seen more wizards than you."

"No you haven't, I've seen more than you, my Mum and Dad were wizards and I saw them, you never did."

"Yeah, but remember Uncle Sev said I had a gift for reading oars, it means I can tell who's a wizard and who's not." Dudley pointed out smugly.

"Uncle Sev said you can read auras not oars, and just because you can spot wizards, it doesn't mean that my magic makes me a bad artist, it's just a thing."

"No, because I have seen two wizards draw and they're both terrible." Dudley spotted his mum standing on the playground with another woman and waved.

"Which other wizard have you seen draw?" Harry demanded; crossing his arms.

"That girl what can't draw in our class, she has an _oar_ like you and Uncle Sev. She's a wizard or a witch or something." Dudley said running away from Harry over to his mother who planted a kiss on his forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Harry uncrossed his arms and stomped over to where his aunt and cousin were waiting. "Hello, Aunt Petunia."

"Are you all right, dear? You look ever so unhappy." Aunt Petunia gave Harry a kiss on the forehead and leaned backwards, looking her nephew up and down.

Harry pulled a face at Dudley and then looked at his aunt, "Dudley's pretending he saw the aura of another wizard in our class."

Petunia glanced wearily at the woman she was standing with and said. "Now's not the time to be playing your little game. Not many people know about _your_ wizarding world Harry and we don't want the _muggles_, as you call them, finding out." Petunia turned to the lady next to her and chuckled uneasily. "My boys have very vivid imaginations; they like to play games with wizards and witches although they never seem to know the time or place to do so."

The woman smiled indulgently at the boys. "That game sounds ever so interesting."

"Dudley, Harry, this is Mrs. Granger. She's the lady who lives in the house next to ours." Harry held out his hand politely.

"Pleased to meet you, I hope you had a nice holiday; Aunt Tuney said you went to France."

The woman smiled again and shook his hand. "We did, thank you."

Dudley smiled at Mrs. Granger and said bluntly. "So do you have any children, then?"

"Yes, I have a daughter. She's the same age as you and Harry. Look, there she is now." She pointed at a girl with curly brown hair who was walking across the playground in their direction. "Harry, Dudley, this is my daughter Hermione. Hermione, these two boys are our new neighbours, Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley."

The girl glanced from Harry to Dudley and narrowed her eyes, "I thought you two were brothers."

Harry scowled, "Who says we're not. Just 'cause we have different last names doesn't mean we can't be brothers. Who made you boss of deciding who's brothers and who's not anyway?"

"Harry!" Aunt Petunia admonished.

Harry crossed his arms. Petunia turned to Hermione and smiled, "I'm sorry about that. Harry is my adopted son; he's an orphan, which means…"

"I _know_ what orphan means." Hermione said.

"Hermione!" Mrs. Granger scolded her daughter. "Don't be so rude to Mrs. Dursley."

Hermione crossed her arms, mirroring Harry, and scowled. Dudley stepped forward smiling and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Hermione."

Petunia turned to Mrs. Granger, "Perhaps Hermione might like to come over to our house for dinner one evening; the boys haven't had any friends over since we moved into town."

Mrs. Granger smiled, "That would be lovely, Petunia, and perhaps the boys can come to ours one afternoon."

"That's very kind of you, Helen. Do you need a lift home?"

"Not today. Thanks for the offer, but we're going to meet my husband, David from work."

Petunia nodded and put one hand on each of the boy's backs. "Boys, say goodbye to Helen and Hermione."

Dudley waved brightly and Harry scowled, turning his back and running over to the car.

Petunia unlocked the car door and the three of them climbed in. "Harry, it was inappropriate for you to be so rude to Hermione and Mrs. Granger. Can you explain yourself?"

Harry bit his lip and looked at his aunt's reflection in the rear-view mirror. "I don't like her. She's a know-it-all; I didn't even get one chance to answer a question with her in the class."

"You can't judge a book by its cover."

Harry frowned, "She isn't a book, and anyway she reads too much and it was her fault the third game of bulldog ended badly at playtime, _and_ she's a girl."

Dudley smiled, "Harry's jealous because she's a wizard."

Petunia pursed her lips, "We'll have to talk to Severus about that at some point. Don't say it to her face, people who don't know about the wizarding world might get offended if you called them names like that. If you are correct though, Hermione would be a witch. I know her mother isn't, she would have said something when she met Harry."

"Why? Do most wizards know each other when they meet? Harry doesn't, is he broken?"

Harry scowled again and stuck his tongue out at his cousin. "Harry don't do that, it's not polite. And Dudley don't call your brother broken, he's perfectly normal."

"For a wizard." Dudley said.

"Wizards are just as normal as m_uggles_, more normal in fact." Harry said smirking at Dudley.

"Don't call me a muggle!"

"Why? You are a _muggle_ aren't you?"

Petunia turned around in the front seat and glared at the two boys. "Don't make me ground you!" she warned turning back around and glaring at the boys in the rear-view mirror. She didn't speak once to the two boys until she pulled up in the driveway of their house. Petunia stopped the car and turned around in her seat. "Harry, I want you to promise not to use the word _muggle_ in such a nasty way. You make us sound like _freaks_ for not having magic, how would you feel if we treated you like a _freak_ for being a wizard? Please apologize to your brother."

Harry bit his lip and glared out of the window. "He _did_ say I was weird, though!"

"I will have him apologize for that, but first I would like you to say sorry to Dudley for using the word _muggle_ in such a demeaning way."

Harry, although not fully understanding what his aunt meant by 'demeaning', understood the gist of what she said and pulled a face and mumbled a quiet and not fully sincere apology to his 'brother'.

Dudley mumbled, "Sorry for callin' you broken." In reply and got out of the car.

The two boys climbed out of the car and set off, jogging up the driveway, when Petunia called them again. "Dudley, can I have a word."

Both boys' faces paled and Harry turned, vanishing into the house as though he had suddenly learnt to apparate. Dudley traipsed back down the drive towards his mother. "You're not gonna ground me are you 'cause I didn't do anythin' more nasty than Harry."

Petunia smiled and ruffled her son's hair. "You're not in trouble darling; I'd just like to speak to you, on your own."

Dudley still looked worried. "You said we don't have no secrets though, why didn't you speak to Harry too?"

"I want you to promise me something, popkins." Petunia knelt, so she could look her son fully in the eyes. "Harry's your younger brother and you know that the only reason I do not allow Harry to refer to me as his mother is so that he never forgets his own mother."

"I know but-" Dudley began.

"Do you know what big brothers do?" Petunia asked, cutting off her son.

Dudley shook his head and Petunia smiled at him again. "Big brothers look after their little brothers and protect them from harm; you want to be Harry's big brother don't you?" Dudley nodded. "Well then I want you to protect Harry, I want you to be the best brother in the world."

Dudley frowned. "So we're not allowed to fight or argue anymore?"

Petunia chuckled. "All brothers fight and argue, it's only natural, but I need you to promise me that you won't let anything get between you and Harry. In four years time your brother will be invited to go to Hogwarts, and you will not."

Dudley nodded his head. "I _know_, muggles don't go to Hogwarts, they don't teach you how to _do _magic they teach you to _control _it; Uncle Sev's told us this loads."

"I know you understand, but in a few years you might see it differently. You can't let magic get between you and Harry though, you'll always be his big brother, even when he goes to Hogwarts, I want you to be proud of him, not jealous. Harry might be a wizard, but you also have a magical gift. There are hundreds and hundreds of wizards out there, but your Uncle Severus told me that seeing auras is a very unique gift."

"I'm always gonna look after Harry, mum, he _is _my little brother. I won't be jealous when he goes to magic school, you don't need to worry. I'll even look after him after he's a proper wizard, but you can't make me be proud of him _all _the time; like today in art his picture was really really bad, Hermione's wasn't good but Harry's was worser."

Petunia pulled Dudley into a hug then placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "You're a very good boy, popkins, and I know you will do what's right. You always were an angel, I was worried you'd make the same mistakes I did, but you won't because you're a good boy."

"Did you do something bad mum?"

Petunia sighed. "I did something very bad to your aunt Lily."

Dudley looked confused. "I already know about Aunt Lily, she was Harry's mum and Voldemort killed her."

Petunia took her son's hand and led him through the gate at the side of the house and into the back garden. "It's a bit more than that darling. I want you to remember this story; you did fables at school last year didn't you?" Dudley nodded. "This story is a bit like a fable; it has a special lesson in it and I want you to remember it."

Dudley nodded again, "Do you want me to go get Harry too? It's about his mum, and he might want to learn the moral of the story too."

"No, this is a special moral for big brothers."

Dudley looked proud; Petunia pulled him into her arms and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I was your Aunt Lily's big sister, so it was my job to look after her. We were very very close, as good friends as you and Harry, but then one day your aunt made friends with a boy I didn't like very much and he told her she was special and that one day she would be going away to Hogwarts. I desperately wanted to be a witch too, but couldn't; I even wrote letters to the headmaster to ask if I could go to Hogwarts too, he kindly said I couldn't. So I decided I didn't want to be a witch, and started calling my little sister a freak; we argued and eventually stopped talking altogether. You mustn't allow jealousy get between you and Harry. When he goes to Hogwarts, you need to write him letters and support him. If Hermione _is_ a witch Harry will at least have one person he knows, but imagine if you had to go away to boarding school without knowing anyone."

Dudley frowned at his mother. "You know that muggles can't get magic, mum, Uncle Sev told us that when we were talking about squibs that time."

"I know that darling, but you have to understand that you can't let magic get between the two of you."

"Yeah, but even if it did I could just go and say sorry later." Dudley pointed out.

"Sometimes you can't, sometimes you don't want to back down and sometimes it's too late. Your Aunt Lily was killed and I never got a chance to say sorry."

"But you would have if she didn't die, wouldn't you mum?"

"I'm not sure. I let pride get in the way of how I felt; I made up excuses and never spoke about her. That was very wrong of me and not a day has gone by when I haven't thought about her. But you're a good boy, popkins, and I know you'd have done what was right. So if you ever have to apologize don't let anything get in the way, swallow your pride and offer forgiveness and reconciliation."

_OOOOO_

On Thursday night Hermione Granger came to the Dursley's house after school for dinner. Harry sat next Dudley in the back of the car, on the way home from school, in complete silence, following the advice his aunt had given him earlier that day, 'If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all'. So instead of arguing with the 'know-it-all', who was sitting next to his brother, Harry had decided to stare sullenly at the headrest in front of him.

Sitting on the other side of the car, next to Dudley, Hermione's actions mirrored Harry's almost exactly. Hermione's mother had never made her have dinner at someone else's house before, she didn't have many friends and preferred to stay at home rather than visit other people. She thought Dudley seemed all right and Mrs. Dursley was nice enough, but she just didn't know what to make of Harry. He seemed friendly half of the time, but he also seemed very sullen, rude and stubborn. Being only seven, Hermione didn't appreciate the irony of the situation, a sullen and stubborn girl, disliking another child for being sullen and stubborn.

Harry exhaled loudly and glared at the headrest in front of him. Hermione sighed and crossed her arms. The car stopped at the traffic lights at the end of the road where they lived.

There was a ripping noise and the two front-seat headrests exploded, showering everyone in fabric and seat stuffing. Harry and Hermione shouted apologies at Aunt Petunia before turning to glare at one another. Dudley pulled the white fluff from his hair and began laughing loudly, whilst his mother held tightly onto the steering wheel, trying to ignore the three noisy children in the back of the car.

Petunia pulled the car into the drive and sighed as she pulled the key from the ignition. "Dudley, will you run upstairs and call your uncle; I don't think he has a lesson right now. Harry, take Hermione into the kitchen and get her a drink. Don't touch the kettle!"

Harry opened his mouth in protest and Petunia glared. "I don't want Hermione out here when Severus arrives."

"Dudley could look after her, though."

"And what if you accidentally blow up something else?" She then turned to the pale girl sitting in the back of the car next to her son, "Hermione, dear, are you all right?"

"I'm ever so sorry, Mrs. Dursley. This is all my fault, I'm always doing things like this. I can go home now if you want, my mother always leaves a key under the plant pot just in case."

"Don't be silly, dear, you can't go and sit at home all on your own like that. Go inside with Harry and he'll get you a biscuit."

"But I just blew up your car seats." Hermione said wringing her hands.

"That's quite all right, dear, Harry did the same thing just a few years back on the way to the hospital when he broke his arm."

"S-so Harry's like me?"

"Let's not get into it now. When Severus arrives we can have a good talk about it then."

"S-Severus?" Hermione asked.

"He's Harry's and Dudley's uncle, he's a very clever man and will know what to do."

Hermione nodded and climbed, shakily, out of the car. Dudley watched his brother lead Hermione into the house and looked at his mother, "I think you should tell Harry about forgiving people, mum. He doesn't like Hermione very much, but I think they're the same a bit."

Petunia smiled and ruffled her son's hair, "That's very perceptive, Dud. Go call your uncle whilst I clear some of this fluff up. I put the glass lily in the pot with the floo powder, it's next to the fireplace in my bedroom, don't squeeze it too hard, Harry broke it last time and cut his hand."

_OOOOO_

Harry led Hermione into the kitchen and told her to sit at the table. "What d'you wanna drink?"

Hermione smiled politely. "What do you have?"

"Uh, orange, milk, water, black currant uh, pumpkin juice, apple juice."

Hermione wrinkled her nose at Harry's mention of pumpkin juice and said. "Can I have milk please?"

Harry plodded across the room towards the fridge and opened the door, "Do you like blue milk or green milk?"

"I don't know, the milkman leaves ours, which do you prefer?" Hermione walked over the fridge and inspected the two bottles of milk.

"Green; Dudley and Uncle Vernon have blue milk and me and Aunt Petunia have green milk."

"I'll have whatever you have then."

Harry pulled the bottle of milk from the fridge and got two plastic cups from the cupboard. "I think they should make the milk the actual colour it says it is on the bottle, you know. The healthy type is red so they should give you red milk that is actually red and you know it's the healthy sort. I bet they'd save millions and millions of pounds on the little tag things on the bottle."

"But then when you have porridge it would be blue or green."

Harry pulled a face, "I don't think I'd like to eat green porridge." Harry handed her a cup and stood on his tiptoes to reach the biscuit tin. "Do you like malted milk biscuits? I like to dip them in my cup."

Hermione nodded and took the biscuit Harry was holding out to her.

"So do you have any pets then?" Harry asked as he sat down with his own cup of milk.

Hermione shook her head. "We used to have a dog, but mum says we can't get another, do you?"

"No, but my uncle promised to get me an owl for my eleventh birthday."

"An owl?" Hermione asked taking a sip of her milk. "That's an unusual pet to have."

"Yeah but, you can train them to carry letters."

"Like a pigeon?"

"No, what would you want a pigeon for?"

"I don't mean get a pet pigeon; I mean like the carrier pigeons they used them in the war."

"Oh, yeah, I suppose, but I like owls better. My uncle has a massive Horned owl called Stormy."

"I've read about owls, but I've never heard of them carrying post." Hermione looked slightly put out by this fact.

"You probably haven't been reading the right books. I could get some off Uncle Sev if you want; he has loads of books on owls." Harry offered, dipping his biscuit in his milk.

"That would be nice, thank you. What type of owl do you want?" Hermione's face brightened.

"A snowy owl, they're the most loyal type of owl." Harry got a wistful look in his eyes. "Female ones aren't as white, but I wouldn't want a male owl."

"So will Dudley have an owl too?"

"Yeah, we're off to separate boarding schools and we wanna be able to send messages, he doesn't want a snowy though, he likes scops owls best."

"Why isn't Dudley going to the same school?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Uh…" Harry couldn't work out what to say. Hermione _was _a witch, but Severus had told him not to tell anyone about Hogwarts. "Uh, it's a special school and he won't be able to get in."

"What do you mean by special?"

"A school for special people with, uh, special gifts."

"Like what?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Harry narrowed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I like to learn new things."

"But you're asking about every little detail."

"There's no point in learning about only part of something, that's like reading only part of a book."

"Right, well I can't answer anymore questions about the boarding school, it's sort of a secret and I already said too much."

Hermione looked torn between anger and distrust and then she smiled, "All right if it's such a big secret."

"It is; Uncle Sev will be really mad if I tell anyone, even you."

"What do you mean by 'even me'?"

"'Cause you're like us, Dud said." Harry winced and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"What do you mean by that, 'like you'?" Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"I, uh, ask a lot of questions too." Harry offered, unsure of what else to say.

"That's not the reason."

Harry sighed. "Right, okay, I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone, not even your mum."

Hermione nodded her head eagerly and took another sip of milk.

"Okay, so you know how you can do stuff that isn't _normal_?" Harry said glancing at Hermione. She nodded her head and he continued. "I'm the same; in the car, I think I exploded the one on the left and you got the one behind Aunt Tuney. And the boarding school is for people like us."

"So is Dudley like us too?" Hermione asked, her face brightening, "I always knew something was different."

"No, Dudley isn't like us, but he's special too, he can spot people like us; Uncle Sev said it's in our auras."

"So is your uncle like us?"

"One of them, Uncle Sev, who was my mum's best friend at school, is, but my Uncle Vernon, who is Dudley's dad, isn't."

"Can you tell me anything about this school?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"No, I don't know all that much, but I couldn't tell you anyway. Uncle Sev would be annoyed if he knew I told you this much. You have to promise not to tell anyone."

Hermione nodded. "I promise."

"Pinkie promise." Harry said sternly, holding out his little finger.

Hermione nodded. "Okay, I'll pinkie promise."

She held out her little finger and joined it with Harry's, locking their fingers together. They held their fingers together for ten seconds, both of them muttering "Pinkie promise". Harry slackened his grip and looked up at Hermione. Her eyes rolled back in her head; Harry felt suddenly dizzy and called out her name before the both of them collapsed onto the kitchen floor.

**AN: I think I forgot to say at the end of my previous chapters that in general the chunks of text that are in italic are taken directly from the Harry Potter books and so are not mine, they, like the majority of the characters belong to J.K. Rowling.**

**I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed and added this story to alerts or favourites, my beta 'Bitch Goddess' and 'tumshie' for pointing out the mistake at the start of chapter 2**

**-beksta**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dudley shuffled upstairs, grabbing a packet of crisps from his school bag as he dumped it by his bedroom door. He flicked off his shoes as he passed one of the spare bedrooms and continued on to his parent's bedroom barefoot.

Dudley pushed the door open, walked over to the fireplace and took the long wooden box from the mantelpiece. He carefully carried it over to the dressing table and put it down, opening the lid and taking a small glass lily from on top of a small heap of Floo powder.

Dudley squeezed the glass flower tightly in his fist and whispered. "Uncle Sev, Mum said you don't have a lesson now. Can you come over quickly? I've seen another oar and Harry exploded the car. We have the girl with the oar here so Mum doesn't want you coming through the downstairs fireplace."

Severus' voice echoed from the flower. "I will be there promptly, Dudley; I just need to file away some papers. Please, make sure there is nothing in the way of your parent's bedroom fireplace."

Dudley nodded at the flower and set it down on his parent's bed, before sitting cross-legged on the floor and opening his packet of crisps.

Dudley was just standing up, having finished his crisps, when Severus slid through the fireplace.

"Hi, Uncle Sev."

"Hello, Dudley. Are you well?" Dudley nodded. "Good, where is your mother? I will have to speak to her before you tell me about your friend's aura."

"Mum's outside with the car. Either Harry or Hermione blew up the headrests; they were arguing and then poof." Dudley clapped his hands together to indicate what had happened.

"Right, I'll head down to the front garden. You might want to check on your brother if he isn't getting along with this Hermione. Try and keep them from arguing if you can."

Dudley nodded again. "Do you think they might have blown something else up?"

Severus shook his head. "It's unlikely." He turned and marched from the room, his black cloak billowing behind him.

Dudley stretched and scrunched up his empty crisp packet, tossed it into the bin and followed his uncle out of the room.

At the bottom of the stairs Dudley decided to take another route to the kitchen, if he went through the pantry he could dump his dirty jumper by the washing machine and grab another packet of crisps to snack on before tea, Severus tried to discourage snacking so he was hoping to finish them before any adults turned up.

Dudley stopped at the big wooden door and pushed it open. He imagined that the room was quite big for a pantry. On the left wall was a door that lead to the kitchen and on the right there was a door that went to the dining room, rows of shelves, piled high with food, stretched from the dining room door, across the back wall and around to the kitchen door.

Dudley pulled his jumper off over his head and dropped it in front the washing machine before turning to the shelves and scanning them for the wicker basket where his mother kept the crisps. He spotted them on the fourth shelf up and just managed to reach them by standing on his tiptoes and stretching as far up as he could reach. He headed into the kitchen, stopping by another shelf to grab a piece of flapjack from a small tin.

The door closed slowly behind Dudley and the flapjack and crisps fell from his hands.

Dudley reached his brother's side before the food even touched the floor. To Dudley, Harry looked asleep. He tried to shake him awake and when this didn't work he shifted over to try to wake Hermione.

When Dudley realised that he wouldn't be able to wake his brother or Hermione he jumped to his feet and ran to the front door. He found his mother and uncle in the garage repairing the headrests in the car.

He stumbled as he reached the adults, stopping in front of his mum and trying to tell her the whole story in one breath.

"What was that darling? You'll have to slow down a bit; I didn't catch a word of what you said." Dudley's mum said, smiling indulgently at her son.

Dudley took a deep breath and repeated himself. "Harry and Hermione are asleep on the kitchen floor and I can't wake them up. They're breathing, but what if they're _dead_?"

Petunia paled and Severus climbed out from the back seat of the car. "Did you say they aren't breathing?"

Dudley shook his head. "They _are _breathing, but they won't wake up!"

Severus' brow furrowed and he scratched his chin. "They're in the kitchen?"

Dudley only had a chance to nod his head once before Severus had swooped from the garage. Dudley looked up at his mother who was now very pale, she gestured for Dudley to follow his uncle.

Dudley couldn't remember ever running as fast as he just did; he reached the kitchen in record time and had to spend almost a full minute trying to catch his breath. By the time Dudley could breathe properly again, Severus had already levitated the two unconscious children onto the kitchen table and was running his wand over them trying to ascertain what had happened.

Dudley looked at his brother and rubbed his eyes. "Uncle Sev?"

"Shh darling, your uncle is working. He's trying to find out what's wrong with your brother and Hermione; he can't concentrate if you talk at him." Petunia whispered to her son.

"But Mum, their oars are all mixed."

Severus stopped his muttering and turned around to face Dudley and his mother. "Petunia, please use the dining room fireplace to make a Floo call. You need to go to the Hogwarts hospital wing. Ask for Poppy, tell her it's an emergency, say Severus Snape called her, and if she tells you she can't come tell her you're Harry Potter's guardian."

Petunia nodded and hurried from the room. Severus turned to Dudley and bent to meet his eyes. "What did you mean when you said their auras are mixed?"

"All wizards have gold in the oars, but theirs is really, really bright, like looking at the sun. But it's all swirly and mixed with black and white."

Severus sighed in relief. "So you mean the colours are all mixed up."

Dudley nodded, "Yeah but they're also all mixed together as well. I can't tell which bit is Harry's oar and which is Hermione's. It's a bit like its one oar for two people."

Although it was quite hard to tell with his already pale complexion, Dudley was quite sure that Severus' face paled. "Are you sure?" his voice sounded almost worried. Dudley had never seen his uncle behave like this, Severus never sounded worried or unsure.

"Yeah, is that bad?"

Severus took a deep breath. "I don't know."

The answer scared Dudley. If anyone needed a question answered, they would go to Uncle Sev, he was the cleverest man Dudley and Harry knew, and if he didn't know then it _must_ be bad. "But are they magic poorly or normal poorly?"

"For their auras to have merged as you said there needs to have been strong magic at work. This isn't a simple muggle illness." Severus rubbed his forehead.

"Can't you use the wake up spell that you used on Harry when he fell off the green house roof trying to save that cat from next door, at the old house?"

Severus shook his head. "It could be bad to do that, Dudley. Remember how I told you not to move Harry when he ran into the wall and knocked himself out?" Dudley nodded. "It's a bit like that; it might not be good to wake him up before a proper healer gets here."

"A healer, is that one of those wizard doctors you was talking about, the ones that live at St. Mangoes?"

"St. Mungo's." Severus corrected him.

Dudley clicked his tongue and walked over to where he dropped his food earlier. He put the flapjack in the bin and offered the crisps to his uncle, who shook his head.

Petunia came through the pantry door just as Dudley was walking back to put the crisps away. A stern looking woman followed close behind her, she had grey hair and her clothes were a lot like what the school nurse wore when they'd had a Victorian day at school.

The lady pursed her lips and looked at Severus. "You might want to send your Patronus to the headmaster to let him know where his matron is. It's lucky St. Mungo's sent a few of their apprentices over to learn from me this week. I would not have been able to come if they hadn't."

Severus smiled thinly. "I am most grateful, Poppy." He flicked his wand and muttered a quiet incantation. A silver doe burst from the end of Severus' wand, and bowed before turning and running through the opposite wall. He slid his wand up his sleeve and glanced at Harry, Poppy was already running her wand along the bodies of the two children.

Petunia busied herself making cups of tea for everyone, whilst Dudley shuffled into a corner, out of the way. After ten minutes, Poppy set her wand down on the table and accepted a cup of tea from Petunia.

She sunk into a chair and turned to Severus and Petunia. "The results I am getting back from the diagnostic tests are all indicating that a type of magical bond has formed between these two children. This diagnosis however, is impossible; certain married couples form bonds, but only after the wedding charm is cast, and the only other similar form of bond I can think of is the familiar bond."

Severus frowned. "The familiar bond can only occur between a wizard and a magical creature."

"It's the closes think I can liken it to, however this," she gestured at Harry and Hermione, "seems to be different, they are somehow linked."

Dudley stood up in his corner. "That's what the oars mean then."

Poppy set her mug down and turned to Dudley frowning. "Pardon?"

"Their oars are all mixed."

"My nephew has the ability to see auras." Severus clarified.

Poppy eyed Dudley wearily. "This boy is a muggle, Severus."

"I know." Severus said tersely. "He is however, the nephew of Lily Evans, the greatest witch of her generation."

Petunia beamed proudly and ruffled her son's hair. "That's my baby boy, special, just like his aunt."

"And what do you mean by mixed auras?" Poppy asked in bewilderment.

"Well, Harry and Hermione normally have goldish colours in their oars like you and Uncle Sev."

"What do you mean like your uncle and I?"

Dudley shrugged. "All people with magic have gold in the oars, it's how I know they're magic, their oars tell me. But Harry and Hermione's is brighter than normal, it's almost too bright to look at. It's all swirly too, mixed with black and white."

"What do you mean 'it'? Surely you mean their _auras_, not their _aura_?"

"They only have one." Dudley said shaking his head. "They were separate in the car before they blew up the headrests, but now they just have one big, bright oar."

Poppy's eyes widened and she looked at Severus, glanced from the door to Dudley and back.

Severus nodded almost imperceptibly and turned smiling to Dudley. "Could you do me a favour?" Severus asked his nephew. Dudley nodded. "Good. I would like you to… could you please, go upstairs and make up one of the spare beds, just in case Poppy wishes to keep your friend here, to observe overnight?"

Dudley nodded and scuttled from the room. Petunia turned incredulously to Severus and frowned. "Stay the night? What do you mean stay the night?"

"That shouldn't be necessary." Severus said stiffly. "Poppy merely indicated that she wished for Dudley to leave the room for a moment. I could think of no other excuse."

"Are they going to be all right? Shouldn't you have done something by now, what about that hospital of yours?" Petunia's voice changed from disbelief to worry like with the flick of a switch.

"From what your son told me the only conclusion I can come to is that a soul bond has formed between these two children."

"There's no such thing as a soul bond, they're legendary, like the resurrection stone or the Holy Grail." Severus said.

Poppy pursed her lips. "Be that as it may, this is the only conclusion I can draw. Until I can get a second opinion from the headmaster I cannot be sure, but all the signs point to it, legendary or not."

"I'm sorry, but what's a soul bond?" Petunia asked taking Harry's hand.

"A soul bond is a legend in the wizarding world." Severus said sitting at the table opposite Poppy and gesturing for Petunia to sit. "The last rumoured soul bond was between Lancelot and Guinevere and, even then Guinevere was part Veela so it could have been simply a highly developed familiar bond."

"Guinevere, from the King Arthur stories?"

Severus nodded. "Her mother was a Veela and Lancelot was Merlin's nephew, the bond was said to have formed at a very early age."

"So are you saying that Harry and Hermione will end up married?" Petunia asked aghast.

"Not necessarily. I can't think of any other rumoured soul bonds, but it doesn't mean they will grow up to have feelings for one another. Does it?" Severus turned to Poppy, sounding almost unsure.

"No, it doesn't; the research done in the department of mysteries defines a bond as something binding two or more people together. The bond may connect their minds and it is possible that, once the bond has formed fully, Harry and Hermione will even be able to feel one another's physical pain. They may or may not develop feelings for one another, we can't be sure; although, the same could've happened if the bond had not formed."

"But they don't even _like_ one another. How can such a bond form when they dislike each other so much?" Petunia asked, wringing her hands and chewing on her lower lip.

"They will grow to like one another. They have to." Poppy said simply. "The bond will bring them together; if they don't let it form it will most likely kill them."

"You can't let him die, not Lily's son, he's all I have left of her. _He's my son_, you won't let him die will you?" Petunia began sobbing.

Severus patted her hand and smiled awkwardly. "Poppy will not let Harry or Hermione die. We must ensure that the bond can properly form between them. I will consult Albus on this; he will know what to do."

"What about Hermione's parents?" Petunia asked. "They don't even know about the wizarding world."

Severus rubbed the back of his neck. "Now, that is a dilemma. Although Hermione _is_ a witch, the Statute of Secrecy states that we cannot reveal the wizarding world to muggles until the time when a direct relative of said muggle is listed in the archives of the Ministry of Magic as a citizen of magical Britain."

"But we know about the wizarding world."

"A child born to a parent already listed in the ministry archives will automatically be listed, but a muggle born child is not listed until the year of their eleventh birthday."

"But you told Lily, you told her before she got her letter, years before."

"And I shouldn't have, however, although _you_ knew, your parents did not."

"We can't not tell them. Imagine if someone knew something like this about Harry and didn't tell us. You just can't keep a secret as big as this from someone, Severus, especially when their daughter is involved like this."

"It's not allowed, we can't tell them." Severus protested.

"So what do we tell them?" Petunia asked sharply, "Are you suggesting we don't say anything, we just lie. What if the bond kills them? You can't just keep something like this a secret. Hermione is their only daughter; what's the worst that could happen? They only want what's best for their daughter."

"And what if they believe it's best to ignore the magic and hope it goes away? Do you know these people? Are they religious? We've had problems with parents before; some even believe their children are evil for being magical. If they decide Hermione being a witch is wrong, the bond will not be able to form." Severus growled, standing up. "Their decision could kill Harry."

"And it would kill their daughter too. They just need to know. We don't have to tell them all about the wizarding world, just the basics."

Severus shook his head. "I will not have them making decisions that could kill Lily's son."

Petunia glared at Severus with such intensity, he took a step back. "It's not for you to decide. I'm not bound by _your_ Statute of Secrecy," Petunia looked a Poppy for her to verify what she had just said, Poppy nodded her head and Petunia turned back to Severus. "And I will tell them, I have to. It's only fair."

"At least wait until I can tell Albus." Severus offered.

"And how long will that take?"

"I'll call him now; Harry's a priority for him." Severus turned on his heel, marching from the room, his robes barely whipping around the doorframe before the door slammed shut behind him.

When he reached the dining room, Severus stopped at the fireplace and pulled a packet of Floo powder from his pocket. He knelt by the fire, lighting it with his wand and throwing a small pinch of the silvery powder into the flames.

He thrust his head into the crackling green flames and the world began swirling. When everything finally righted its self, Severus' head was in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts.

"Albus, are you there?" Severus called out softly. "Albus?"

There was a scraping noise and the kind face of an elderly man came into view. He walked to the fireplace, kneeling down so low that his long white beard brushed across the hearth, gathering pieces of ash and burnt wood.

Albus Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, Severus, I wasn't expecting you back for several hours."

"Did you get my Patronus?" Severus asked urgently.

Dumbledore frowned deeply. "Yes, and I have to say that was entirely unexpected. Harry just passed out you say? Did Poppy give a diagnosis? I was wondering about magical exhaustion myself, he is a very powerful wizard, even at such a young age."

"Magical exhaustion is what first I thought. My nephew, Dudley, can see auras… have I told you that before?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm sure it will make a most interesting story when you tell me the full details, however, right now you must explain to me Harry's condition."

"Well, Dudley told me that Harry and Hermione's auras were merging, Hermione is the girl I mentioned in my Patronus. We told Poppy and she believes that a soul bond may have formed between them."

"That is an interesting theory, a soul bond hmm? And Harry's bond mate, how did he meet her?"

"She lives next door to them, Harry and Dudley met Hermione at school."

"Ah, she's a muggleborn witch; well, that is an interesting twist. I'll just get my travelling cloak; I shall be at the Dursley's home as quickly as I can manage." Dumbledore stood up, brushing the ash from his beard and pointing his wand into the corner of the room.

As his travelling cloak floated across the room, he turned from the fireplace, facing something Severus could not see. "Basil, would you please visit your portrait in Minerva's office and let her know I will be leaving the castle for a short time, and would you please make her aware of the absences of Poppy and Severus?"

Dumbledore plucked his cloak from the air and turned back to the fireplace. "Return to the Dursley's house, I shall have Fawkes take me across, I rather dislike travelling by Floo."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Severus pulled his head back through the fire, spitting ash from his mouth.

The world had barely straightened itself out before there was a flash of bright, golden light, and Albus Dumbledore appeared in the middle of the Dursley's dining room.

Severus couldn't help but think of how odd Dumbledore looked standing there in all his wizarding finery. The dying green flames of the fire reflected from Dumbledore's long silvery travelling cloak. In comparison to their mundane surroundings, Dumbledore looked completely magical, with his waist-length silver hair and beard, his crooked nose and half-moon spectacles. His pointed silver hat brushed the ceiling and Fawkes sat perched on Dumbledore's shoulder cooing softly in his master's ear.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly, gesturing towards the door. "Lead on, Severus."

Severus nodded "Just through here, Poppy is in the kitchen with Petunia." He pushed the pantry door open and led the headmaster through the two doors into the kitchen.

"Excellent, you're awake." Dumbledore said, briskly striding across the room to where Harry and Hermione sat on the table sharing a bar of chocolate.

Harry looked up from his chocolate bar and smiled. "I had a dream about you; you're friends with that cat lady and the giant man aren't you?"

"Ah, you have an excellent memory, Harry." Dumbledore beamed, sounding quite delighted.

"How d'you know my name?" Harry frowned, offering a chunk of his chocolate to Dumbledore and Severus.

Severus shook his head, but Dumbledore, whose smile grew impossibly wider, accepted a square and popped it in his mouth. "I was friends with your parents, and I'm the headmaster at the school your uncle Severus works at."

"So you're the one that keeps making Sev stay behind for detention?" Harry asked, eying Dumbledore with curiosity.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Your uncle doesn't get along too well with most of his students. He gives out a lot of detentions."

Harry crossed his arms and turned to Severus. "How come you always make it sound like you've got detention and not the other way around?"

"Excuse me, sir, but what kind is that bird on your shoulder?" Hermione interrupted, looking timidly at Dumbledore and Fawkes.

"Fawkes?" Dumbledore pointed at his familiar and Hermione nodded apprehensively. "He is a phoenix. _Fascinating creatures, phoenixes, they can carry immensely heavy loads. Their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets._"

"But phoenixes are just myths, I've read about them in quite a few books on mythology and all of them say that phoenixes are just made up. They can't exist anyway, all the books I've read say that phoenixes are immortal; nothing can live forever."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I see you'll be quite a challenge when you finally come to Hogwarts. Fawkes is a magical creature; he isn't quite immortal, but phoenixes do burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes."

"If he always gets reborn, then surely he is immortal?" Hermione asked, shuffling over to the edge of the table and looking at Fawkes and Dumbledore with awe.

"Phoenixes are highly loyal, but don't often bond with humans. If a phoenix does not bond, it will reach its burning day and instead of being reborn from its ashes, the ashes will form an egg, which will hatch and become the dead phoenix's offspring. This eventually happens to all phoenixes; however, a bonded phoenix will live as long as its master, often leaving to die in peace when its master has finally passed on."

"So Fawkes is bonded to you?" Hermione asked. The phoenix bobbed its head and flapped its wings, flying over to the table and sitting between Harry and Hermione. Hermione reached out a tentative hand and patted the bird on its head. "Hello, Fawkes, you're a beautiful bird."

Fawkes cooed softly and leant into Hermione's touch. Dumbledore smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling with delight. "He likes you, Miss Granger. The last time he behaved like that to a person was when Lily and James brought baby Harry to Hogwarts for the first time."

"Baby Harry?" Hermione asked. "Do you mean this Harry?"

Dumbledore's smile widened and he turned to the boy in question. "Yes, I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Harry. You look just like your father, except your eyes, your eyes are the same as your mothers." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he smiled at Severus.

Harry looked from his Aunt Petunia to his Uncle Severus. "That's why you like my eyes best isn't it Aunt Tuney? They're like my mum's."

Petunia nodded and turned away from Harry quickly. "Would you like a cup of tea, Professor?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "That would be lovely, Petunia. I trust you're well?"

"Quite." Petunia nodded quietly and strode quickly over to the kettle where she set herself to work, clattering mugs and saucers around noisily. Harry was sure he saw his aunt wipe her face with a hankie from her pocket, but thought it better he didn't say anything.

"I think, perhaps, it would be rather prudent for us to have this discussion in the lounge." Dumbledore said. "Poppy, you have no problem with the children getting up from the table do you?"

Poppy pursed her lips. "It may be better if they were carried."

Harry shook his head. "No chance. There's no way you're carrying me around like a baby, Mr. Professor. Sir."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You may call me Professor Dumbledore, Harry. You will call me that when you come to Hogwarts, you may as well practice now."

"Okay, Professor Dumbledore. I don't want to be carried nowhere though." Harry crossed his arms.

Severus pursed his lips. "I will deal with this, _Professor._" He bent and picked up Harry, tossing him over his shoulder and turning to face the door. "This way, professor, you can follow me to the lounge. I'm sure Poppy will bring Hermione."

Poppy glared at Severus so fiercely that Harry momentarily forgot to pound on his uncle's back. "Severus, I would prefer it if you didn't throw my patients around like rag dolls."

Severus ignored the matron and strode from the kitchen, Harry still thrown over his shoulder, beating futilely on his back.

The pair ran into Dudley in the hallway and Harry shouted out to his brother. "Dud, make 'im put me down!"

Dudley snickered. "Did he give you detention, Harry?"

Harry glared. "They won't let me walk. That Poppy in the kitchen said she didn't want me walking nowhere."

"Ha, well that serves you right."

"Serves me right for what?"

Dudley shrugged. "I dunno, I'll think of something."

Harry groaned. "Sev, put me on that sofa over there."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "As you wish, _Your Highness_." He dumped Harry on the sofa and sat in the chair opposite. "Are you feeling better?"

Harry crinkled his nose. "I wasn't feeling bad. I feel weird now, though. All stretched out and empty. It only happened when you carried me out of the kitchen."

Severus rubbed his chin. "Dudley, can you tell me anything about Harry's aura?"

"It looks weird and all stretched. The colour on the edge looks like it's reaching out for something. You know, like when you're trying to get the biscuits from the top shelf, but can't reach. It's still gold in the middle, but it's all black on the edge, you know, where the reaching arm bits are."

"Ah, you must be Dudley." Dumbledore strode into the room, with Fawkes perched on his shoulder.

Dudley smiled warily. "Yeah, who're you?"

"I am Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster at the school where your uncle teaches."

"Oh, you're the one that Sev got those sherbet lemons for."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I probably am. I do rather enjoy muggle sweets."

Dudley's piggy eyes widened and he grinned. "I do too."

"Well then, Dudley, I may well set you the task of creating a list of your favourite muggle sweets, for me, I haven't had a chance to visit a proper sweet shop in a very long time."

"I could do that, Professor Dumbledore. I know a lot of types of sweets."

Poppy strode into the room, carrying Hermione with surprising strength, and placed her on the sofa next to Harry and sat down opposite.

Severus looked at Dudley. "What do you see?"

"What? Oh, you mean oars. They're the same as earlier, but with more black than white." Dudley sat on the end of the sofa next to his brother.

Harry looked at his brother. "Who's aura?"

"Yours and Hermione's, they're all jumbled together. Like when you get three balls of different colour play dough and squidge it all together." He mimed squashing a giant ball of play dough with his hands.

"Weird, but it wasn't mixed earlier?" Harry asked. "Do you think we can un-mix it?"

"I don't think so. You can't ever un-mix play dough, that's why we always hide it when Piers used to come over, 'cause once it's mixed it gets all ruined and you can't get it undone."

Harry turned to his uncle. "Do you think I'll have to get another aura?"

Severus rubbed the back of his neck. "You can't get a new aura, Harry. Auras are a reflection of your soul."

Hermione raised her hand timidly. "Excuse me, what do you mean by auras? I thought they were myths too."

Aunt Petunia entered the room and Dumbledore accepted a cup of tea from her, settling himself into a big, high-backed chair and fixing Harry and Hermione with his penetrating stare. "I think it may be advisable for us to start from the beginning."

"Albus, what about the statute?" Severus asked sharply, glancing at Hermione.

"Severus, you're forgetting that over the years I have added several amendments to the statute of secrecy." Dumbledore said, fixing his piercing gaze on Severus.

A pale blush rose on Severus's high cheekbones and he looked down. "Do carry on, sir."

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore said, nodding in Severus' direction before turning back to Harry and Hermione. "Miss Granger-"

Hermione cut him off. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but would you mind calling me Hermione?"

Dumbledore beamed. "Of course, Hermione, now, I think I'll start from the beginning. Severus mentioned to me that you blew up the headrest of Mrs Dursley's automobile."

Hermione nodded. "I didn't mean to, sir. It was an accident."

Dumbledore smiled indulgently. "I understand, Hermione, it happens to the best of witches."

"Witches?"

Harry nodded fervently. "Remember when I was telling you about not being normal?" Harry asked. "Professor Dumbledore is like us too." Harry looked at Dudley. "He is, right?"

"Yeah, he has matching oars to you and Sev and Poppy." Dudley pulled a biscuit from his pocket and tucked his feet under his rather rotund bottom.

"Good. Well, anyway, Hermione, Mr Dumbledore is the boss of that special boarding school I was on about before we got knocked out." Harry looked from Hermione to Dumbledore before turning to his brother and eyeing his biscuit enviously.

"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore smiled. "Would you like a biscuit?"

Harry nodded, "Yes please, Professor." He eyed Dumbledore's robes in puzzlement. "Do you keep them in there?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, I'll summon some from the kitchen at Hogwarts." Dumbledore waved his wand and a small plate of biscuits appeared in the air in front of him. Dumbledore plucked them from the air and placed them on the coffee table in front of Harry and Hermione.

Hermione took a biscuit and looked back at Dumbledore. "Mr. Dumbledore, I've read several books on magic - although I'm sure quite a lot of it is just fiction - summoning is always described as objects floating towards you, what you did sounds like conjuring."

Dumbledore blinked, bemused for a second. "Are you the same age as Harry?" Hermione nodded. "And as far as you know there are no wizards or witches in your family."

"None, sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well this is a surprise. In answer to your question, Hermione, what I just did was a combination of conjuring and summoning. It is impossible to create food from nothing; however, you also can't summon something from such a long distance. With the form of summoning I just did, I moved an object from one place to another."

"But wouldn't that be stealing?"

"That's a good point. I suspect that it could be used for theft; although, it would be difficult because you need to know exactly where the item is you would like to summon." Dumbledore explained smiling. "You will make a most excellent student when you come to Hogwarts. In the past fifty years I've had only two students like you."

Severus raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore smiled. "Minerva and Lily."

Severus nodded. "Ah, the two smartest Gryffindor witches."

"Of course, although, if I were to sort her now I think I would have to place her in Ravenclaw." Dumbledore said.

Severus shook his head. "Although it pains me to say it, I believe Hermione will be a Gryffindor; she is so much like Lily she couldn't be placed anywhere else, in fact I'll eat _my_ hat if the Sorting Hat puts her anywhere but there."

"What about slithering, Uncle Sev? I thought you were the boss of slithering?" Harry asked.

"I am, but unfortunately neither of you are suited for Slytherin. I suspect Dudley would have done well there, but you, Harry, belong in either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."

"I still maintain my view that the sorting ceremony occurs too early." Dumbledore said.

Severus scowled. "I may have become more tolerant, Headmaster, but I do not believe I would have been suited to spending my Hogwarts years with _those _marauders."

"And yet, the only child of the marauders has become like a son to you." Dumbledore smiled.

Severus's face hardened. "You know my reasons, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded and turned back to Hermione. "I think I have a bit of explaining to do, Hermione."

"What is this school Harry was talking about?" Hermione asked, taking a chocolate digestive from the small plate on the table.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore chuckled. "I am rather surprised you didn't ask about magic and my wand."

"We already talked about magic. You're a magician or sorcerer or something and your special school teaches magic, doesn't it?"

"Well, Hermione, magic exists, as we have already ascertained, and I am a wizard, as are Harry and Severus. You, Miss Granger, are a witch like Poppy here and Harry's Mother."

"A witch?" Hermione looked at Poppy and Petunia, who were having a quiet discussion in the corner of the room, and then back at Dumbledore. "Like in the stories with broomsticks and black cats?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It is true that we have broomsticks as our primary method of transportation; magical folk are not, however, the dark creatures from your stories." Dumbledore glanced at Severus and winked at the children, his pale blue eyes sparkling, "Well, most aren't."

Hermione giggled. "So will I be able to go to this special school too one day?"

"Of course; you'll receive a letter sometime around your eleventh birthday, you'll be invited to come to Hogwarts along with Harry." Dumbledore said.

"But why are you telling me all of this now? Do you normally tell us a few years before we get out letters?" Hermione asked.

Harry frowned. "Yeah, why are you telling her this now? Uncle Sev said that I couldn't tell anyone about Hogwarts, even if Dud saw it in people's auras."

Dumbledore nodded. "Under normal circumstances we would wait until you receive your Hogwarts letter, however, because of what has happened I have decided it is prudent to tell you now."

"What _has_ happened?" Hermione and Harry asked simultaneously.

"We believe a soul bond has formed between the two of you." Harry opened his mouth to interrupt and Dumbledore raised a hand, silencing him. "A soul bond, Harry, is a link between the two of you. It joins not only your body and mind, but also your soul."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"No one knows, for a long time the soul bond was believed to be a myth." Dumbledore said.

Hermione nodded. "Do you have any evidence to prove a soul bond has formed, sir?"

Harry looked at Hermione, scowling. "Why do you need evidence? Professor Dumbledore and Severus said it was true, you should believe them they know what's right."

"You shouldn't believe everything everyone tells you, Harry, grownups aren't always right." Hermione argued.

"Severus and Professor Dumbledore are." Harry insisted.

"On the contrary, Harry, even the best of us make mistakes. Your uncle had made several mistakes in his past and so have I. The problem is, when people like your uncle and I make mistakes, they often cause more problems than other peoples'." Dumbledore said. "However, we are not here to analyse my mistakes, we are here to discuss your bond."

"Why did we feint though?" Harry asked.

"I believe it was caused by a form of magical exhaustion, for the bond to have formed it would have taken a lot of power. In barely a second your raw magical power was increased by at least double whilst at the same time been drawn from your body and into Hermione's." Dumbledore said.

"Was it 'cause we did a pinkie promise?" Harry asked. "Severus told me about wizard's oaths, is it like that?"

"The bond its self is not dissimilar to an unbreakable vow but it was not caused by a promise. I believe it was the contact between your skin that caused the bond to form, like a small spark becoming a big fire. This bond is a remarkable thing, Harry; I do not believe that the bond would have formed had you met when you both became Hogwarts students. There is something magical about the number seven. I do not know what _caused_ the bond to form but I am fairly certain that it was triggered when you touched Hermione's hand and not by the promise aspect of your 'pinkie promise'."

Dumbledore stood up and brushed biscuit crumbs from his robes. "Mr. Dursley, I would like you to stand across the room from your brother."

Dudley nodded and stood up, grabbing the last biscuit from the plate as he walked past the table. "Where do you want me to stand?"

"Just next to the fireplace." Dumbledore waved his wand over the empty plate, transfiguring it into a piece of parchment. "Take this," he handed the parchment to Dudley, "as you can see there are six stick figures drawn on the parchment. I will have your brother and Hermione stand across the room from you. I would like you to draw their auras on the parchment when I ask you to; please label the colours, if you can. Can you do this for me Mr. Dursley?"

"Yes, sir." Dudley took the paper and shuffled across the room, taking a pen from the mantelpiece and sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Dumbledore turned to the other two children and beckoned them over. "I would like you, Hermione, to stand in that corner, and you, Harry, to stand in the corner on the opposite side of the room."

The two children nodded and took their places in the two corners of the room. "You may begin drawing now, Dudley." Dumbledore said, nodding in the direction of the fireplace.

Dudley took a few minutes drawing the aura as detailed as he could on the parchment before looking up at Dumbledore. "I'm done now, sir."

"Thank you, Dudley." Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione. "I'd like the two of you to now stand next to one another, please make sure that you are not touching one another."

The two children got into position and Dudley began to draw again. Like before, when he was finished, he looked up at Dumbledore and said, "I'm done now, sir."

Dumbledore nodded and as before, he thanked Dudley for his help before turning to Harry and Hermione. "I would now like the two of you to hold hands."

Harry wrinkled his nose and opened his mouth to protest. "Do I have to? I don't want to."

"It is quite essential that you do, Harry." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

Harry grimaced and reached out, taking Hermione's hand. Severus, who had been watching Dumbledore and the three children, felt a surge of power come from the two children as one of the glass vases on the sideboard shattered.

Dudley flinched and looked up at the headmaster. "Their oar isn't really there. I can see it a bit if I squint; it's a sort of shimmery white colour." Dudley squinted at his brother and Hermione.

Dumbledore smiled. "Just as I suspected, may I see your other drawings, Dudley?"

Dudley nodded and pushed himself up from the ground, picking up the paper and handing it to Dumbledore. He pointed at the first picture and said, "Them bits on the outside like arms were black, and the army bits only reached towards the other person. In the other picture, the oars are gold and white, with no black and I couldn't draw the last one."

"Thank you, Dudley, you have been most helpful. Harry, Hermione, you may sit down." Dumbledore returned to his seat and turned to Poppy and Petunia. "Have you come to a decision on what to tell the Grangers?"

Petunia shook her head. "We haven't discussed that yet, Poppy was just explaining the bond in more detail to me."

"Ah, well I believe that Harry and Hermione may need to maintain a certain amount of physical contact for the bond to fully form." Dumbledore said.

"Physical contact?" Petunia asked.

"They must maintain a small amount of skin on skin contact," Dumbledore said, "every night for the rest of the month, at least."

_OOOOO_

There was a loud bang like a gunshot and Helen Granger dropped her mug on the floor with a start. She turned in her chair and saw a tall old man standing in the centre of her office, smiling pleasantly and wearing what appeared to be a puce dressing gown with a matching nightcap.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have an appointment?" Mrs. Granger asked, grabbing a handful of paper towels from the table and mopping up the tea on the floor.

The man blinked. "This is 'Granger Dental Practice'?"

Mrs. Granger nodded briskly and continued mopping up the mess. "If you have an appointment, you should first check in at the front desk."

"I don't have an appointment. I'm here to speak to you about your daughter."

"Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked absently. "She's at the Dursley's, I'll be collecting her in a few hours, are you from the school?"

The man smiled. "I'm from _a_ school."

Mrs. Granger dropped the wet paper towels into the bin and looked up at the man. "What's that supposed to mean? Who exactly _are_ you?"

"Perhaps we should wait untill your husband joins us." The man smiled.

Mrs. Granger began sweeping away the shattered remains of the mug. "He's seeing a patient, root canal, he should be at least another twenty minutes."

The man bent over the smashed mug. "Here, let me." He waved his wand once over the mess and the cup immediately sprang back together.

Mrs. Granger stood up and sat down numbly in her chair. "Who…what… who are you?

The man's blue eyes sparkled merrily and he smiled at Mrs. Granger. "I am Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"I'm sorry, what?" Mrs. Granger asked, choosing to ignore the magic for a second.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of a rather prestigious school."

"Why're you in my office, sir?"

"Please, call me Albus. I am here to discuss your daughter. You are Dr. Granger, the mother of Hermione Granger, are you not?"

"Hermione is my daughter, yes."

"Excellent." Dumbledore sat on one of the chairs in the corner of the room. "Your daughter, Hermione, is a very special girl. In four years time, your daughter will be invited to come to my school; under normal circumstance you would not receive a letter about this untill sometime around your daughter's eleventh birthday, however, your daughter is not a normal girl."

"Not normal in what way?" Mrs. Granger asked.

Dumbldore chuckled. "You've noticed?"

"Noticed what? You're talking about that... thing, aren't you?" She gestured at the mug on the floor. "She does strange things, sometimes almost magical, that's the reason you're here isn't it?"

Dumbledore nodded. "There is no simple way to tell you this, Dr. Granger. Your daughter is a witch."

"A-A witch?"

"Yes, not _just_ a witch either; your daughter is _very_ powerful."

"Why are you telling me this now? You said under normal circumstances nothing would happen until Hermione turns eleven, has something happened?"

"You could say that. I'll explain a bit about magic to you, should I?" Mrs. Granger nodded mutely. "There are around seven hundred thousand witches and wizards living in magical Britain at the moment. We live in secret and have our own government; my school is the most well known magical school in the country. As headmaster of Hogwarts, I am rather well known in the wizarding world, my fame however, is nothing in comparison to that of Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? Isn't he the Dursley's adoptive son?" Mrs. Granger asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Harry's parents were killed by one of the most infamous wizards since Salazar Slytherin himself. At the age of one, Harry defeated this wizard. Lord Voldemort has killed hundreds of fully grown witches and wizards, and yet, he was defeated by a baby."

"What does this have to do with Hermione?"

"It has everything to do with your daughter, Dr. Granger. Your daughter's fate is now wholly and irrevocably interwined with that of Harry Potter."

"What do you mean 'fate'?"

"To most, Harry is considered a saviour, he is our hero, the boy who conquored the dark lord. Great things are expected from him."

"You said fate as though she might be in danger? Surely if Harry is such a great wizard she will be safer with him than with anyone else."

"That would be true if Voldemort were actually dead." Dumbledore said.

Mrs. Granger frowned. "But…"

"Harry destroyed him, but I do not believe Voldemort is dead, he's out there somewhere, weak but very much alive." Dumbledore said. "When Voldemort returns both Harry and Hermione will be in very grave danger."

"But how will Hermione be in danger? If Harry is this Voldemort's target, then why is my little girl in danger?"

"A bond has formed between your daughter and Harry Potter."

"A-A bond? What do you mean?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Harry and Hermione's souls are linked. They are bound together, forever. Harry's brother can see auras, and from what he's told me, not only are their bodies, minds, and souls connected but they also appear to share the same core."

"Core?"

"Magical core." Dumbledore explained. "If the bond properly forms Harry and Hermione's magic will be stronger than anything ever seen before; however, they will both also posses an achilles heel, as it were. They will become each others' weakeness, if one is killed the other will soon follow, and their magic will be weaker if they are seperated for extended periods of time."

"How do you know all of this?"

Dumbledore drummed his fingers in the arm of his chair. "I recently did some research into a soul bond. A familiar bond formed between myself and my phoenix, Fawkes and as a result I began researching other types of bonds and found out about two children, unfortunately I learnt of them too late and they were sent to separate magical schools, the strain on the bond was too much and both children died."

An hour later, an old man, who looked to be wearing pyjamas, walked out of the front door of Granger Dental Practice, humming a merry tune. He walked to the end of the street and stopped, turning once on the spot and vanishing. Shortly after, the owners of the dental surgery closed for the night and could be seen driving away from the building at over twice the speed limit.

**AN: In this story I will not be doing character 'bashing' although Hermione's mother may have come across slightly neglectful I won't be portraying the Grangers as horrible parents. Hermione is their only child and so they want to give her everything they can, unfortunately this means working long hours and not spending very much time with her. **

**-beksta**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"She's so bossy, it's annoying. Last night she was telling me how to organize the books on my book shelf." Harry grumbled. He and Dudley were sitting cross-legged in the Dursleys' garden rolling a ball backwards and forwards to each other.

"I don't think she likes you all that much, either." Dudley pointed out.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not that bothered."

"You should be; Uncle Sev said you need to learn to get along. Mr. Bus will be coming over tomorrow, and he wants you to be friends."

"But she's so annoying. I can't believe they got rid of the wall in my bedroom. It's so unfair, why do they have to make our bedrooms into one room?" Harry complained. "They're trying to make us be friends at school, as well."

"Hermione isn't that bad, she helped me in maths yesterday." Dudley said.

"She was just showing off." Harry scowled over the fence at the house next door.

"Was that what you were doing when you helped me with my English homework last night?"

Harry shook his head in indignation. "You're my brother; I'm s'posed to help you."

Dudley plucked a handful of grass from the lawn and scattered it over the football Harry had just rolled to him. "Hermione just wants to help, I don't think she can help being so bossy."

"She's worse than Aunt Tuney though." Just as Harry said this, his aunt popped her head out of the back door and called to the two boys.

"Your Aunt Marge has just arrived at the station; your father has gone to collect her. Harry, please come and help me with the washing up. Duddy, would you please clear your paints from the dining room table?"

Harry kicked the ball into the corner of the garden and ran to the back door. "Did Uncle Sev put that wardrobe in front of the magic door into Hermione's room?"

Petunia nodded and pursed her lips. "On second thoughts, Harry, go upstairs and clean yourself up a bit, you know how your aunt likes to pick. Remember, just ignore whatever she says; nod, be as polite as possible and think about the fact that she will be gone by the end of the week, she _is_ your uncle's only family. Please try to avoid doing any accidental magic."

"It's _accidental_, Aunt Tuney, I don't control it." Harry tilted his head to the side and smiled hopefully at his aunt. "You know... if you bought me a wand, I would be better at control."

Petunia smiled fondly at her nephew. "Nice try." She took hold of his shoulders and turned him in the direction of the stairs. "Off you go, remember to try and brush your hair."

Harry spent ten minutes trying to drag a wet comb through his hair before giving up and throwing the comb back into the sink in frustration. He rubbed his face clean with a face cloth, dropping it on top of his comb as he heard the crunch of gravel, indicating that his uncle had returned with Aunt Marge.

Harry ran down the stairs two at a time, stopping just short of the hat stand in the hallway. Turning, he sprinted as fast as he could manage to the kitchen. "Aunt Petunia, Aunt Petunia!"

Petunia walked from the pantry, still wearing her yellow rubber gloves. "Do I still have to share with Hermione whilst Aunt Marge is here?" Harry asked as quickly as he could.

"Of course, Helen knows Marge is here. You will spend the rest of the week sleeping in Hermione's room, except for Wednesday, when both Grangers will be working late at the practice and Hermione will be staying overnight here."

Harry frowned. "Okay. Is she bringing one of the dogs?"

"Two, Bruno and-"

Petunia was cut off as the front door burst open and a deep voice bellowed, "Where's my little Duddy-poo?"

Harry turned around with a startled look on his face, his eyes the size of dinner plates. From the hall, he could hear the gruff voice of Aunt Marge talking loudly. "Nice house Vernon, I always said you should move to this part of the country. I imagine the neighbours are nice enough. Do they have neighbourhood watch? They'll need it with that boy here. I don't know why you put up with him. He'd of gone straight to the orphanage if he'd been dumped on my doorstep."

Harry turned, looking pleadingly up at his aunt. "There's nothing I can do, darling." Petunia slipped a ten pound note into her nephew's pocket just as Aunt Marge rounded the corner and entered the kitchen.

"Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, ignoring Harry as she strode across the room to give Petunia a kiss on the cheek. "I love your new house."

Aunt Marge looked a lot like Uncle Vernon; she even had a matching moustache and watery eyes. She'd put on quite a lot of weight since Harry had last seen her, and Harry thought it was remarkable how a few pounds made her look so much more like the bulldog she had tucked under her arm.

Petunia smiled politely and turned to Harry. "Harry, darling, please take your aunt's bags to her room. When you pass the dining room, please tell your brother I asked him to give you a hand with the bags."

Marge frowned, plonking herself down in one of the chairs, which creaked ominously as she put her full weight on it. "The boy can manage on his own, Petunia. I have a gift for Dudley." She turned to Harry, narrowing her eyes. "Tell my Duddy to come into the kitchen; I have a lovely big present for him."

Vernon smiled jovially. "No need to take the bags up, Harry, I'll do it in a minute. You stay here; I bought some cakes for you, Dudders and Hermione."

"Hermione, who's this Hermione?" Marge asked looking between Vernon and Petunia.

"She's the daughter of the next door neighbour; we look after her during the week." Vernon said, picking up Marge's suitcase and walking from the kitchen.

"I hope they pay for you to babysit their daughter," boomed Aunt Marge.

"It's not babysitting, Marge, Hermione is good friends with Dudley and Harry." Petunia said.

"If this girl likes the boy are you sure she's a suitable friend for Dudley?" Marge said, setting her two dogs on the floor.

"Tea, Marge?" Petunia asked tersely, attempting to ignore Marge's previous question.

"That'd be excellent, Petunia." Marge said, in her usual booming voice.

Petunia smiled. "Harry darling would you mind going _upstairs_, and telling Dudley and Hermione that Marge is here."

Harry nodded shrewdly, "I'll go through the pantry should I?"

"That's a good idea darling." Petunia smiled.

Harry shuffled from the room, into the pantry and then though the next door and into the Dining room. "Marge is here." Harry said dully to his brother.

Dudley smiled sheepishly at Harry. "I heard. I was seeing how long I could stay in here before someone made me go in there. Has she said anything yet?"

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes. "She said you shouldn't be friends with Hermione if I'm friends with her."

Dudley snorted. "Has mum sent you to get me?"

Harry shook his head, "Not yet. We get to try out the wardrobe door. Aunt Tuney wants us to go get Hermione. I think she's supposed to be waiting by the bedroom door at three." Harry looked at his watch and pulled a face. "It's quarter past."

Dudley laughed. "If you're trying to annoy her then you're doing a good job."

Harry shrugged. "Should we stop here a bit?"

"Come on Harry, Aunt Marge will get annoyed if you take too long." Dudley grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him from the room and up the stairs.

Harry pushed open his bedroom door and walked to his bookshelf. "Dud, do you remember when we read this book in English?" He asked picking up the book in question.

"What book?"

"This one, the book right here in my hand."

Dudley looked over at Harry. "'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'?" Harry nodded. "No, I don't."

Harry sighed and threw the book down on his bed. "Let's go find Hermione."

Harry knocked on the wardrobes' door. "Hermione?"

There was a loud muffled bang and the door of the wardrobe opened. "Wow, this isn't Narnia."

Harry's eyes briefly met Hermione's and both children smiled in amusement. Harry lowered his eyes and, looking at the floor, said, "C'mon, Aunt Marge is here, she won't be happy if I take too long to collect you."

Dudley looked at Hermione. "Aunt Marge doesn't like Harry very much, so we should tell her we had to tidy up a bit before we could come downstairs."

Hermione nodded. "Why doesn't she like you?"

"Dunno," Harry shrugged, "she never has; at our shared fourth birthday party she hit me with a walking stick to stop me beating Dud at musical statues."

"Dad nearly threw her out for it but mum's got a thing about sisters and brothers too I s'pose. Aunt Lily and my mum fell out before she died and mum always says that she doesn't want dad to make the same mistake." Dudley said, looking as though he didn't quite understand the explanation himself.

Hermione's brow furrowed as they walked down the stairs. When the three children entered the kitchen, they found Aunt Marge already with a large glass of sherry in her hand and her second dog, Rocky, sitting on her lap and drinking from her glass.

Harry looked over at Aunt Petunia who grimaced as the dog put his dirty paw on the table to get better access to the glass.

Harry was pleased to see Marge look straight through him and at Hermione. "You must be this Hermione girl Vernon and Petunia have been telling me about."

Hermione smiled politely and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Dursley."

Aunt Petunia placed her teacup back on the saucer and stood up. "Sit down Harry, Dudley, Hermione. Vernon brought some buns from the little bakery on his way back from work."

The three children slipped into their seats, Harry sitting as far away from Aunt Marge as he could get without making it obvious he wanted to get away from her.

"So… Hermione, I hear you're a very bright girl. I imagine you were top of the class _before_ my Dud came to your school."

Petunia set a small plate of fairy cakes in front of the children and smiled at Aunt Marge. "I'm not entirely sure, but I do believe Hermione is top of her class in _every_ subject."

Marge faltered before patting Dudley roughly on his shoulder. "You've got some work to do then, Duddy."

Dudley smiled at his aunt, but didn't reply to what she said, pointing to his full mouth and shrugging. Marge beamed indulgently at him. "You have the manners of a saint, Duddy darling."

Marge turned to Harry and whacked the back of his hand, with her walking stick. "Leave those buns alone, you've had one already."

"Dud's had three." Harry protested watching aunt Petunia's hands shake angrily as she poured herself another cup of tea.

Marge's nostrils flared and she gestured at Hermione. "Have none of the manners your aunt taught you sunk in? Leave some for your guest, and don't you dare backchat me." Marge turned to Hermione smiling politely. "Have another one, dear, that's what they're here for."

Hermione shook her head. "No thank you, Ms. Dursley, Harry can have that one, I'm full."

Marge frowned and begrudgingly slid the plate back over to Harry. "There you go, boy, but if you don't eat your dinner…"

Harry looked over to Aunt Petunia who pursed her lips and strode across the room to wipe the table down. Harry was sure he saw her aim a kick at Bruno, who was sitting next to the table and growling at Harry.

Harry smiled in delight and Marge raised a chubby finger. "Don't you dare smirk at me, boy."

Petunia leant across the table, so that Marge could no longer see Harry. "Hermione dear, I spoke to your mother this morning and she said you could stay for dinner tonight. I imagine you don't often get roast dinner with your parents spending so much time at the practice. It's amazing they get so much done as it is, I don't think I'd ever manage."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't get to spend as much time with them as you do with Harry and Dudley. My parents often used to leave me with a baby sitter, of course, that isn't possible with the sleeping arrangements now."

"Sleeping arrangements?" Marge asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing really, Ms. Dursley, I sometimes spend nights here."

Marge nodded her head and Harry smiled at his brother who had placed whole fairy cake in his mouth.

The rest of afternoon tea and dinner passed rather uneventfully. Aunt Marge spent a large portion of the evening pointing out Harry's faults and comparing him to Dudley, whilst Aunt Petunia spent the evening trying to distract Marge's attention to anywhere but Harry.

Hermione went home at seven o'clock and Harry and Dudley retreated upstairs, kissing the adults good night, Aunt Marge made a point of ignoring Harry as he kissed Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

Harry was so tired when he went to bed that he forgot to even argue with Hermione as he walked through the wardrobe and clambered into Hermione's magically enlarged bed.

_OOOOO_

The first two months at the new house passed quickly. After the first few weeks, nothing in particular happened. Harry and Hermione continued sharing a bed whilst, at the same time, arguing constantly. The only time the two children were united was in their hatred of Aunt Marge, but as soon as she'd gone back home their alliance faded and they went back to their usual routine of alternating between ignoring one another and arguing with each other.

Harry awoke early on the last day of term before the Christmas holidays, happy to see that Hermione had already gotten up and gone back to her own bedroom. Harry stretched and pulled on his slippers, yawning as he slowly padded downstairs. The house was dark and Harry switched on the lights of the living room, curling up into one of the large armchairs and picking up his copy of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

Harry sat alone reading for half an hour before anyone else joined him in the sitting room. He folded the corner of his page over and set the book on the arm of the chair just as his Uncle Vernon walked into the living room.

"Harry, are you all right? What are you doing up so early?"

"Just couldn't sleep all that well, I'm excited it's less than a week until Christmas."

"Is Hermione still asleep?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno, she wasn't in my bed, but Poppy only said we need to share a bed for most of the night."

"Well, I'm taking the three of you to school this morning, Helen and David are opening the practice earlier for the next few days so they can get time off to be with Hermione." Vernon said, picking Harry up and carrying him into the kitchen.

Harry was still too sleepy to protest and simply hung limply in his uncle's arms as he was carried out of the living room.

Harry drank the cup of tea his uncle placed in front of him and when Dudley entered the room, Harry tiredly rubbed his eyes and took the apple his brother held out to him.

When Hermione finally arrived at the Dursley's house to be taken to school, Harry thought she looked far too eager to be going to school; that was one of the reasons Harry found her so annoying.

Harry glared tiredly at her from across the table and drummed his fingers impatiently on his saucer, waiting for his brother to finish his cereal. As his brother shovelled in his last mouthful of cereal, Harry leapt to his feet.

"Come on, let's go." Harry clicked his tongue and ran a hand through his hair. "We're watching a video in class today."

Dudley rolled his eyes. "I've got to go back upstairs."

Harry tapped his foot impatiently and rubbed his eyes again. "_Fine_, I'll wait outside." Harry took his lunchbox from the table where his uncle had placed it and grabbed his school bag from the hallway, collecting his book and stuffing the two items messily in his bag.

"See you later, Aunt Tuney." Harry called from the bottom of the stairs before marching through the front door and sitting cross-legged on the lawn near his Uncle's car.

Harry was just about to take his book back out of his school bag when Dudley, Uncle Vernon, and Hermione walked out of the front door. He ran his hand though hair again and stood up, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

_OOOOO_

The two year-three classes were put together in one classroom to watch a 'Flintstones' Christmas film one of the teachers had brought in to watch on the class video player. Harry's teacher, Miss Clark, had made some biscuits for the class to eat whilst watching the film and the other class's teacher, Mr. Jones, had bought several bottles of juice for the two classes.

Harry and Dudley sat together on a desk at the back of the classroom where, in their opinion, they had the best view of the small television at the front of the room. Neither of the boys noticed Hermione sitting alone in the corner of the classroom, nor did they notice Hermione not joining in with the rest of the class when the teachers suggested games for them to play after the film.

After the games the children were sent out into the cold playground to play for an hour with the promise of cups of hot chocolate when they returned. Harry and Dudley raced out into the frosty playground in too much of a rush to even grab their coats from the cloakroom.

After playing 'build-up tag' for twenty minutes Harry and Dudley decided to sit out for a while, realising that they really should have thought to bring their coats and gloves out into the playground with them.

The two boys jogged over to the benches next to the shed where the teachers kept the P.E supplies. Harry and Dudley had just began speculating as to what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would be getting them for Christmas when Harry felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

Harry, bent double clutching his stomach, certain he was about to throw up.

"Harry? Harry, are you all right? Do you want me to go get Miss. Clark?" Dudley bent over to look at his brother's face.

Harry shook his head and sat back up. "No, I've gotta go find Hermione, I think there's something wrong with her."

"What do you mean something's wrong?"

Harry shrugged. "Just a feeling you know, I felt sick and then I just got this feeling."

"You don't even know where she is. I think we'd best go tell a teacher you're not feeling well." Dudley put an arm around his brother in concern.

"Don't worry, Dud, go join in with the others, I'll be all right." Harry shrugged his brother's arm off his shoulder and stood up. "See you in a bit." Harry waved goodbye to Dudley and jogged across the playing field in the direction of the wildlife area.

As Harry neared the small thicket of trees, he could hear a muffled sobbing sound. "Hermione? Hermione, where are you, are you all right?"

There was no answer so Harry continued into the thicket, following the sound of the sobs, stopping at the bottom of the biggest elm tree. "Hermione, what're you doing up there?"

Hermione buried her face in her hands and turned away from Harry. "Go away!"

Harry looked up the tree to the branch where Hermione was sitting frowned. "How did you get up there?"

She glared down at him, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Magic."

Harry sighed and reached for the lowest branch, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his hands around it. "You're lucky I'm good at this; Sev always told me that climbing trees was useless and dangerous, but look at me now. Ha."

Harry pulled himself up, wrapping his legs around the branch and shuffling forward on his stomach. When Harry reached the trunk of the tree he gripped tightly onto his branch and pulled himself up so he could stand up, climbing from one branch to another until he neared Hermione. "Shift over a bit."

Hermione shuffled over. "How did you do that?"

"I'm good at climbing; at the old house we used to go to the forest and me, Dud, and Piers used to have competitions to see who could get highest. I always won, but Dud used to just say it's 'cause I'm smallest."

Harry brushed his hands clean on his school trousers and leant against the trunk of the tree. "Why're you crying?"

Hermione wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt and took a great shuddering breath. "Everyone ha-hates me."

"No, they don't." Harry said.

"No, they do. My mum and dad never spend any time with me anymore. We haven't all been at home as a family for months; they're always working and when they're home they're always too tired to do anything with me. Mum barely even noticed that we have to share a bed to help this bond thing and Lucy Dixon was teasing me about my teeth earlier. Even you hate me, and Professor Dumbledore said we should be closer than anyone else."

Harry patted Hermione awkwardly on the arm. "Nobody hates you, Hermione. Your mum and dad care about you, they're working extra so they can spend Christmas with you. Uncle Vernon never used to be at home and he still is barely there, but it doesn't mean he hates us. Aunt Tuney said he _has_ to work so that we can have all the things we need."

Hermione rubbed her eyes again. "They're always more bothered about work than they are about me, you're Aunt Petunia looks after me better than they do, maybe it'd be better if I just left."

"They don't want you to leave. You should be happy to even have parents." Harry said quietly.

Hermione gasped putting her hand to her mouth. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, it must be terrible not having any parents."

Harry shrugged. "I don't remember them that well, I sort of know my mum quite well, 'cause Sev and Tuney always tell stories about her, but I don't really know that much about Dad, they never really talk about him that much."

"At least you still have your aunt and uncles." Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "It'd be awful if I had no one, or if Aunt Tuney and my uncles hated me. I don't think your parents hate you, Hermione, they love you, and they probably don't like spending so much time running their dentist's shop."

Hermione giggled. "It's a dental practice, Harry."

"Hmm." Harry pulled Hermione into a bone-crushing hug. "I don't hate you, Hermione; a soul bond can't form with someone you hate."

Hermione buried her head in Harry's shoulder. "How do you even know the bond is forming at all? It could be just broken and I'm making everything worse."

Harry smiled. "I found you, didn't I? I knew you was unhappy and the bond helped me find you up a tree."

Hermione smiled and wiped her eyes again, looking around. "How are we supposed to get down? I don't even remember climbing up here."

"We'll just climb down, it's not that hard."

Hermione frowned and shook her head. "I can't, I'll fall."

"You won't fall, and even if you do it won't be that bad, we're not that high up."

"I might break a bone."

Harry laughed. "Not from here, I've fallen a lot further. Once I even fell off the roof, and even then Sev healed me up right quick."

"You fell from a roof." Hermione gasped.

"Yeah, I was trying to get the parrot back, he escaped out the window."

"Wow, you must be really brave to climb up on a roof."

Harry shook his head. "No, Uncle Sev said I was rec- wreck… uh."

Hermione smiled "Reckless?"

"Yeah that, he said I should be more careful if I didn't want to die early and that if I tried that at Hogwarts I'd end up splattered all over the castle walls or down a staircase."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and wistful. "Is it really a castle?"

"I think so, I've never even seen a picture, but Uncle Sev said it's huge." Harry slid from his branch, landing gently on the next one down; he held up his hand and smiled encouragingly at Hermione. "Come on, I'll keep hold of you."

Hermione took Harry's offered hand and slid from her branch. "D-don't let go."

Harry smiled gently. "I won't, just keep hold of my hand."

Hermione slipped onto the next branch, holding Harry's hand so tight he was sure it would bruise. Harry led Hermione down one branch after another until they had reached the one closest to the ground. "I'll never get down that, it's too high."

Harry laughed and leapt from the branch, landing crouched on the ground. "It's not that hard." Harry shook his legs and arms. "Look, I'm not broken."

"I think your head's broken." Hermione grumbled. "You're like a cat."

Harry rolled his eyes and took Hermione's hand. "Reach down and wrap your arm around my neck, I'll pull you down and stop you falling as hard."

Hermione reached out a tentative hand and held onto Harry, slipping forward on the branch. Hermione slipped from the branch more quickly than she had planned, knocking Harry over. Both children fell into a giggling heap on the floor.

Hermione smiled at her new friend. "Thanks, cat boy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

4 years later

Dudley strode across the kitchen waving his Smelting stick in the air above his head, Harry snorted. "You look like an ice cream man."

Dudley crossed his arms. "I can't wait to see you in your uniform when you get your Hogwarts letter, you'll look like a bat."

Harry's smile widened and he looked at his watch. "Sev said that the letters should be here today. The maroon of your coat really brings out the colour in your eyes." Harry laughed.

Dudley hit Harry with his Smelting stick. "At least my hat won't make me look like a pixie."

"Ha, you look like a little school girl; you should grow your hair and get pigtails." Dudley hit his brother again with his stick.

Dudley opened his mouth to return his brother's insult when he heard the click of the letterbox and flop of letters on the doormat. Harry's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he smiled excitedly, running from the room and sliding along the hallway. Harry collected the letters with a single scoop and ran back to the kitchen, ruffling through the stack of letters until he found the one addressed to him.

He flipped the letter over and saw the Hogwarts crest on the back. "It's here, Dud, it's here!"

Dudley raised his eyebrows. "Now who looks like a little school girl?"

Harry's stomach squirmed and he felt another jolt of excitement run through him. Harry dashed from the room, still clutching his letter to his chest. Briefly looking over his shoulder and beaming at his brother. "Hermione just got her letter too!"

Harry ran up the stairs two at a time, pushing his bedroom door open with a bang and running to the empty door in the corner of the room. As he neared the wardrobe, the door burst open and a brownish blur flew across the room, colliding with Harry and knocking both of them to the floor. "It's here, it's here! We're off to Hogwarts. Harry we're going at last!" Hermione squealed into Harry's ear.

Harry pulled his best friend into a hug. "Have you opened yours yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "You?"

"No, how about we open them now. On three?"

"On three." Hermione agreed. "One."

"Two" Harry smiled.

"Three." The two children said in unison, tearing into their letters.

Harry pulled the parchment from the envelope and read:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE _

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) _

_Dear Mr. Potter, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall, _

_Deputy Headmistress _

Harry turned beaming to his friend. "We really are going aren't we?"

Hermione sighed. "I can hardly believe it. To think we did our SATs for nothing."

"We didn't do them for nothing; I finally proved I'm just as clever as you, all fives, ha!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to compete?"

"You're just annoyed because I did just as well as you."

"I am not; you know full well I did better than you anyway."

"Oh yeah, little miss 'I would have gotten all sixes if the grading went that high'." Harry smirked at his friend.

"Look whose jealous now, cat boy."

"Aha! You were jealous, I knew it!" Harry yelled triumphantly, pointing a finger accusingly at her.

"Ooh, look, Harry, there's a list in here." Hermione unfolded her second piece of parchment and began reading it aloud.

"_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _

_UNIFORM _

_First-year students will require: _

_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) _

_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear _

_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) _

_4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) _

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags _

_COURSE BOOKS _

_All students should have a copy of each of the following: _

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk _

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot _

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling _

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch _

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore _

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger _

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander _

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble _

_OTHER EQUIPMENT _

_1 wand _

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) _

_1 set of glass or crystal phials _

_1 telescope set _

_1 brass scales _

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad _

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS."_

"I reckon if we're supposed to send our owl before my birthday we really ought to get Sev to take us to get my snowy." Harry said beaming from ear to ear. "Your parents gone to the practice yet?"

Hermione nodded. "Just, they brought my letter to my room when they went, but they promised they'd close up early to have a little party for me."

"You coming downstairs then?"

"All right," Hermione shrugged, "is Dud still parading around in that ridiculous boater?"

Harry snorted. "Yeah, he hit me twice with his Smelting stick this morning for laughing at his uniform."

"I'm going to miss him when we go to Hogwarts." Hermione sighed, following Harry towards his bedroom door.

_OOOOO_

Severus arrived at the Dursley house at ten o'clock in the morning, the next weekend. Hermione's parents had closed their dental practice for the day so they could go with their daughter to buy her school supplies. The Grangers and Dursleys were eating breakfast in the Dursleys' kitchen when Severus knocked at the front door. Dudley leapt to his feet, sprinted to the front door and let his Uncle into the house.

"Hello, Uncle Severus," Dudley said. "We're eating breakfast in the kitchen."

Severus nodded and stepped into the house, his robes whipping around his ankles in the mild summer breeze. "Good morning, Dudley."

Severus walked in to the kitchen and greeted the two families sitting at the table. "Good morning I trust you're all well."

Everyone around the table murmured 'good-mornings' and 'how do you do's' as Severus smiled and took the empty seat at the end of the table. "Before you take the floo to Diagon Alley, I have some things to discuss with you."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean '_you__',_ aren't you coming with us?"

"Of course, I'm not going with you." Harry was quite sure his uncle didn't ever roll his eyes, but if he were to suddenly take up this habit, he would most definitely be doing it now. "How am I to keep my cover if I go parading around Diagon Alley with five muggles, a muggle born, and _Harry Potter_?"

"But if you don't come we won't know where to go." Harry complained, and Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Albus is sending Hagrid to be your guide."

"What's a Hagrid? Is it like that Scottish food thing we had on holiday that time?" Dudley asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's haggis, Dud. Why would Professor Dumbledore send us a haggis to guide us?"

"Well not the cooked version obviously, but if they can train owls at Hogwarts they could probably train a real, wild haggis." Dudley said enthusiastically.

Harry stared at his brother in amazement for several seconds before sighing and slowly shaking his head, sometimes he really did worry for Dudley.

Severus smiled thinly at his nephew. "Hagrid is a person, but we'll discuss that in a second. Harry, Hermione, I would first like to talk with you about what will happen when you come to Hogwarts."

Harry and Hermione nodded. "Like school rules or something." Harry asked.

Severus shook his head. "No, not school rules. As you know, I have my cover to maintain. It is believed that servants of the Dark Lord will be watching you when you finally come back to the wizarding world; I believe that I will also be under observation."

Harry nodded. "Are they gonna try and attack us, 'cause I did tell you that you should buy us wands and teach us defensive magic, it would have been much more useful than making us do ballet."

Again, Harry was sure Severus had come very close to rolling his eyes. "It is illegal for a child under the age of eleven to own a wand, you know that, Harry." Harry sighed and Severus continued. "Because we will both be under observation we will have to keep our interaction to the bare minimum whilst out in the wizarding world. This means I will not be able to escort you to Diagon Alley.

"This also means I cannot…" Severus took a deep breath. "To keep my cover, Harry, I must treat you as I would treat any other student; in fact, I must treat you worse than most students, and seeing as you will not be in Slytherin this will be rather difficult for both of us."

"What do you mean 'worse'?" Harry asked.

"As Professor Dumbledore puts it, 'I am not very amicable' towards students that do not belong in my house. Because of who you are, the boy who destroyed my supposed 'master' and the child of my… rival, people will assume that I hate you. Unfortunately, I will have to treat you as though you are my least favourite student. If I am to fool the Dark Lord I will not be able to treat you as my nephew anywhere outside this house and my office, this also goes for Hermione."

Harry and Hermione nodded their heads again, and Harry couldn't help but feel that this 'double agent' thing was more trouble than it was worth. "So do I have to hate you too?"

Severus nodded. "People must believe I am your least favourite Professor, that we have never met before you came to Hogwarts, and that we share a mutual hate for one another."

"Right." Harry said.

"The second thing I have to tell you are that you must not disclose the information about your soul bond to anyone you would not trust with your life. Your bond is both a weakness and a strength, and we cannot allow the Dark Lord to find out about it; if he does he will most certainly go after Hermione in the hopes of getting to Harry."

Hermione blinked, startled. "So by being bonded to Harry, I'm putting him in danger."

Severus shook his head. "Not at all, the presence of the bond makes both of your magical power stronger; and Professor Dumbledore also has a theory on Harry having a power the Dark Lord does not, because of you." Severus patted Hermione on the shoulder and smiled.

Harry felt Hermione's worry through the bond and patted her hand reassuringly under the table. Hermione squeezed his hand and smiled weakly at him.

"So, what about this Hagrid?" Vernon asked, speaking for the first time since Severus had arrived.

"He will be meeting you in the Leaky Cauldron, that's the inn where you will take the floo to, at eleven o'clock."

_OOOOO_

Petunia, Helen and Dudley escorted the two children to platform 9 ¾ on the first day of term. They stopped on the platform and kissed the two children goodbye, wishing them good luck at Hogwarts and ordering them to send letters with Harry's new snowy owl, Hedwig, as soon as they reached the castle.

Hermione dragged her trunk behind her as the two friends crossed the platforms. "It's amazing, just... wow."

Harry didn't answer, he was looking around the platform with a mixture of awe and apprehension on his face. He watched the steam engine puffing away on its tracks and took a deep calming breath.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, looking around to see Harry standing motionless, with a glazed look on his face, staring silently at the bright red steam engine.

The glazed look on Harry's face disappeared, and he grinned excitedly at her. "It's amazing." He said breathlessly.

Hermione laughed. "Come on, cat boy, we'd better go look for an empty compartment."

Harry nodded and followed his friend, they continued through the crowd until they found an empty compartment. Hermione gestured for Harry to go first and he stepped forward, putting Hedwig inside first, he then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. _He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot._

_"Want a hand?" _A red-haired boy appeared behind Harry, gesturing at Harry's trunk.

_"Yes, please," Harry panted._

_"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" _The boy turned and gestured to another boy, who Harry assumed was his identical twin.

With the twins' help, Harry and Hermione's trunks were at last tucked away into the luggage rack. Harry smiled. "Thanks."

One of the twins winked, Harry wasn't sure if it was the twin which had offered them a hand or his brother. "Our pleasure, Fred and George Weasley at your service." The twin bowed low and flourished his hand.

Harry laughed and offered his hand. "Harry Potter and Hermione Granger at yours."

The twins' eyes widened. "You're kidding." One of them said.

"I don't think he is kidding, look." Fred, or George pointed a finger at Harry's scar.

The other one gasped, "You're right."

"I always am, George."

George laughed. "That you are." He peered at Harry. "So you're really Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, there isn't another one is there?"

"No, I think you're the only one." Fred said.

George nodded his head in agreement. "D'you remember what you-know-who looks like?" He asked eagerly.

"Who's you-know-who?"

Fred frowned. "You don't know who you-know-who is?"

"But you were the one who killed him-"

"Don't you know your own story?"

"Oh," Hermione said, turning to Harry. "They're talking about Voldemort."

The twins blanched.

"You said his name."

"Yes, we know." Hermione said.

"No one says his name-"

"Ever." Fred said gravely.

"Really, why not?" Hermione frowned.

Fred shrugged. "I don't know, I think his followers don't because they were trying to be respectful, but I'm not sure about everyone else."

George opened his mouth to speak when _a voice came floating in through the train's open door._

_"Fred? George? Are you there?"_

_"Coming, Mum."_

The twins waved goodbye to Harry and Hermione. "See you later, Harry, Harry's girlfriend." They said, hopping off the train.

Hermione crossed her arms. "I am not." She called after them indignantly, flopping down in the chair by the window.

Harry and Hermione had just settled into their seats when the door of the compartment opened again and another red-haired boy poked his head around the door. "You don't mind if I sit with you do you, everywhere else is full."

Harry and Hermione both nodded their heads and the boy slipped in, sliding the door closed behind him. He sat down in the seat opposite Harry and Hermione, smiling awkwardly.

_"Hey, Ron."_

_The twins were back._

_"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."_

_"Right," mumbled Ron._

_"Harry, _Hermione_,__" said the other twin__.__ "__T__his is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."_

The twins slid the compartment door closed behind them and Ron turned to Harry, gawking rudely at Harry's forehead.

"It's rude to stare." Hermione said sharply.

Ron blushed and looked down at his feet. _"_Are you really Harry Potter?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, you're Ron right?"

Ron blushed again and glanced up at Harry, holding out his hand. "Ron Weasley."

Harry took Ron's offered hand and shook it vigorously. "So did you grow up in the Wizarding World then?"

"Yeah, I'm pureblood if that's what you mean, but Dad always says blood means nothing, I mean look at you and Dumbledore, you both had muggle born mothers, and you're the most famous wizards since Merlin." Ron ears turned pink at the tips and he looked down at his feet again, pulling his trunk up onto the seat next to him.

Harry and Hermione shared a look and then turned to look at Ron. "What do you mean famous?" they said in unison.

"You don't know?" Ron asked looking up at Harry in shock. "Hasn't anyone told you?"

"Told me what?"

"About _you-know-who_." Ron said in a whisper.

"I know about Voldemort, Se- uh, my aunt told me." Harry said, blushing almost as red as Ron over his slip up.

"So you know that you defeated him?"

"I guess so."

"But you didn't know you were famous?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I mean people did stare a bit when we were in Diagon Alley, but I just thought they were looking at Hagrid, he is pretty huge."

"But you didn't realize we think of you as a saviour."

"Why would you do that?" Harry frowned.

"You defeated you-know-who, you were only one and everyone who had ever faced him before died. But you, a one year old baby killed him." Ron said flabbergasted.

"He's not even dead, and why would people make me famous about something I can't even remember, that's just silly."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Plenty of people are famous for silly reasons; at least you sort of did something good."

"How do you know I even did anything? Was anyone there?"

"Only your parents." Ron said quietly, looking at Harry sympathetically.

"So how do you know I even did anything, maybe it was someone else who ran away."

"Do you have the scar?" Ron asked.

"Which one?" Harry asked. Ron gestured to Harry's forehead and Harry smiled. "Yeah, why?"

"My Dad said that's where the curse hit you?"

"What curse?" Hermione asked.

Ron shrugged. "I don't know the one _he_ used to kill people."

Harry sighed. "Fine, it might've been me, but I can't remember so no one should treat me famous."

Ron relaxed into his chair. "Okay then, you can just be Harry."

Harry nodded, that sounded good. "So which house do you want to get sorted into?"

Ron's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Gryffindor. All my brothers and my parents have been in Gryffindor, I can't not be really."

"So everyone in your family are wizards then?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Uh, I think so. I think I have a distant squib cousin, but we don't talk about him much."

"So do you have many brothers then, or is it just the twins?"

"I have five brothers. I'm the sixth to go to Hogwarts in my family, and I have a little sister too." Ron said gloomily.

"Seven?" Harry asked. "In the muggle world people I don't think people have nearly as many children, none of my friends have more than three other siblings. Do most wizards have a lot of kids?"

"What're muggles like?" Ron asked. "Bill told me you lived with muggles."

"Oh, they're great. I live with my aunt and uncle and brother."

Ron frowned. "In all the stories you're an only child."

"I am, Dud's my cousin, but since my aunt and uncle adopted me they're kind of like my parents. I don't call them my mum and dad because my Aunt Petunia doesn't want to replace my mum or something but I can call Dudley my brother. Me and Hermione live next door to one another, her parents are muggles and we've been best friends since year three when we fell off a tree. After we were friends, Hermione stopped over a lot because Aunt Helen and Uncle David work a lot."

"So are Helen and David your aunt and uncle that adopted you?"

Harry shook his head. "I live with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Hermione's parents are Helen and David."

"So you're cousins."

"Nope. It's just what we call them 'cause Aunt Petunia says it's politer, I think Aunt Helen agrees because Hermione calls Aunt Petunia, Aunt Petunia."

Ron nodded. "Ah, I think I get it now. So what house are you going to be in?"

"I think Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sound like where I'd be going." Hermione answered. "After reading 'Hogwarts, a History' I don't think I'm all that suited to Slytherin or Hufflepuff."

Ron pulled a face. "You wouldn't want to be in Slytherin, all the dark wizards come from there."

Harry frowned, wondering why Ron would say such a thing. "Not all Slytherins are bad. Look at Se- Professor Snape."

"He's the worst. All my brothers have had him for potions and they said he's horrible. Apparently, he's only nice to his own students. Bill said he's an amazing potioneer, but Fred said he's just a git. How d'you know about Snape anyway?"

Hermione glanced worriedly at Harry and he smiled weakly at her thinking quickly. "Well, uh, when Professor Dumbledore dropped off our letters. That happens to everyone brought up in the muggle world. He, uh, told us a bit about Hogwarts, and the teachers, and houses. He said Snape was a very, uh, brave and noble wizard." Harry smiled, proud at himself for such quick thinking.

Ron nodded. "Fair enough. Did Dumbledore tell you about quidditch when he was at your house?"

Harry shook his head and Ron launched into a long and complicated speech on the sport quidditch. Harry and Hermione shared a relieved glanced and smiled at each other.

Ron's tirade was interrupted by the arrival of the food cart. Harry hopped out of his seat, grabbing his money bag from the seat next to him. "You want anything, Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "I've got a sandwich."

Harry smiled. "Well me and Hermione won't be able to eat everything I'm going to buy."

Ron frowned, looking confused as Harry turned his back and stacked all of the food he wanted into his and Hermione's arms. They returned to the compartment dumping the stacks of food into an empty chair. Harry took several packs of Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum and Chocolate Frogs and shoved them roughly into his trunk.

He looked around and saw Ron and Hermione looking questioning at him. Harry shrugged. "They're for my brother and Uncle Vernon. I'll send them with Hedwig when we get to school."

Harry offered a handful of food to Ron who accepted it gratefully, beaming at Harry.

"Does Aunt Petunia know you've got so much money with you?" Hermione frowned.

Harry smiled slyly at her. "I got some extra from my vault when Aunt Tuney told me I couldn't use it to buy my school stuff."

Hermione huffed and sat down in the seat next to Ron. "Is that a rat?"

Ron smiled. "Yeah, his name is Scabbers, Percy gave him to me when Mum bought him Hermes for getting made a prefect."

"Your brother's a prefect?" Hermione asked interestedly.

"Yeah," Ron grumbled. "he won't let us forget it either."

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and a tearful looking, round-faced boy came in.

"Sorry to bother you," he said, "but have you seen a toad?"

_When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"_

_"He'll turn up," said Harry. _"Do you want to sit down?"

Harry pushed a heap of sweets to the side. The boy sat in the cleared space and Harry held out a chocolate frog to him. "Have some chocolate. My aunt always gives me chocolate when I'm upset about something."

The boy smiled appreciatively and sniffled. "Thanks." The boy took a bite of the chocolate and smiled. "I'm Neville Longbottom."

Harry held out his hand. "I'm Harry, this is Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley."

Neville smiled. "Pleased to meet all of you."

_OOOOO_

Across the Black Lake, the students were crowded into a small chamber by Professor McGonagall, and given a small speech on the four Hogwarts houses. She then left the chamber, telling the students to clean themselves up before entering the great hall.

"How are we actually sorted?" Harry asked Ron worriedly. "None of my family would tell me."

"None of mine would except Fred, and he said that _it's some sort of test, all he said was that it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking._"

Harry felt his stomach sink. Why hadn't Severus warned him about the test? He glanced at Hermione and Neville. Neville looked terrified, and Hermione stood with her eyes closed, reciting everything she'd learnt from the books she'd insisted her parents buy her in Diagon Alley.

This made Harry want to throw up. He wished that he'd listened to Hermione when she'd insisted that Harry look through his books and learn all of the information inside. Harry tried to shut out all the noises around him and remember the little Hermione had managed to get him to learn.

He felt sick to his stomach as Professor McGonagall returned to the chamber, and told them to follow her.

Harry almost forgot his fear as he looked around the great hall in wonder. Harry didn't think he'd ever have been able to imagine such a wonderful and splendid place.

Thousands upon thousands of tiny floating candles, which were suspended in the air at different heights along the four long tables where the students were sitting, illuminated the entire hall. The four student tables were groaning under the weight of the glittering golden goblets and plates that the table was laid with.

Harry looked to the top of the hall where the teachers were sitting at a fifth long table and met his Uncle Severus's eye, he nodded his head a tiny bit and looked away. Harry took a deep breath and scanned the rest of the room, noticing several familiar faces. Professor Dumbledore, Poppy, the Weasley twins, and Hagrid, but the majority of the people in the room stared blankly at the first years as they made their way down the great hall.

Professor McGonagall stepped up to a platform at the front of the hall and placed a small three-legged stool down on the ground. On top of the stool, she placed an old ragged wizard's hat.

Harry's first thoughts when he saw the hat was that he would have to try to pull a rabbit from it. This idea was immediately quashed when he noticed that everyone else in the hall was staring at the hat. The hat twitched and a rip near the brim opened wide and the hat began singing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Everyone in the hall burst into applause and the hat bowed to the four tables before falling silent and going still.

Harry, Ron and Neville sighed in relief. Hermione also sighed, but Harry was quite sure it was more out of disappointment than relief.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, pulling a roll of parchment from inside her robes.

_"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"_

Harry took a deep breath, feeling his stomach squirm as Professor McGonagall read the list of names and students walked up to the stool and were sorted into various houses. Harry thought this felt a lot like being picked for teams. He knew for a fact he was only one of the first to be picked because people were afraid not to when they had Dudley standing next to them cracking his knuckled menacingly, but Harry didn't have Dudley here now to get him chosen.

What if the hat didn't sort him, or if it put him in a house where he didn't know anyone. Harry watched as Professor McGonagall looked up from her parchment and called:

"Granger, Hermione!"

As she walked to the stool, Harry could see she was trying desperately to keep from running. Harry saw her beam wildly once at him before she jammed the hat on her head.

The great hall fell silent and Harry felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He felt a trickle of excitement from Hermione through the bond and couldn't help but smile a little bit.

Harry felt his fingers twitch. What was taking so long? It felt like Hermione had been sitting on the stool for at least half an hour. Just as the anticipation was becoming too much for Harry the hat shouted. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry grinned at Hermione and then looked up at the staff table. He saw his uncle meet Professor Dumbledore's eye and smirk slightly before turning and smiling thinly at Harry.

Neville was called up shortly after Hermione and fell over on his way to the stool. Harry winced in embarrassment for his friend and smiled reassuringly at Neville as he sat on the stool.

The hat took a long time to decide with Neville_._

_When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."_

Another eight people were sorted before "Potter, Harry!" was called out.

As Harry stepped forward to be sorted whispers broke out across the four house tables_._

_"Potter, did she say?"_

_"The Harry Potter?"_

_The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited._

Harry could hear the hat talking quietly in his ear. "Hmm, interesting, very interesting." The hat said. "You have qualities suited for all of the Hogwarts houses; however, with half of your soul already sorted into Gryffindor it would be unfair to place you anywhere else. Good look, Harry Potter, and take care of your bondmate, there will be trouble before this year is out."

The hat called "GRYFFINDOR" to the room and Harry stood up, removing the hat from his head and placing it on the stool behind him before walking shakily to the Gryffindor table.

Neville scooted over slightly so that Harry could sit next to him, and a boy, who Harry guessed was Ron's older brother Percy, bent across the table to shake Harry's hand. Harry barely even noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer of anyone sorted yet as Neville turned to him frowning slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were Harry _Potter_?" Neville asked.

"I dunno, Ron said that I'm a bit famous here, and I'm glad you made friends with '_just _Harry' rather than 'Harry Potter, that famous boy'."

Neville smiled. "So we're friends then?"

Harry felt his stomach sink and he looked at Neville biting his lower lip. "Why don't you want to be?"

"I'd like to be your friend if you want to be mine." Neville said.

Harry sighed in relief, feeling the worry drain from his body. "Good, well that's sorted. You, Neville Longbottom are my new friend." Harry turned away so Neville couldn't see his gleeful smile, and looked just in time to see Ron sorted into Gryffindor. He began cheering just as loud as the rest of the table as Ron joined him, Hermione and Neville at the Gryffindor table.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Stares followed Harry from the moment he left Gryffindor tower the morning after the sorting ceremony.

As Harry and his three friends walked to the great hall for breakfast people stood on tiptoes to get a better view of him as he passed in the corridor, others doubled back for another look, and some even stopped in the middle of the corridor and simply stared at his forehead.

Neville smiled cheerfully as he piled sausages onto his plate and poured himself a cup of tea. Taking a sip, he grinned at his three new friends. "Have some of this tea, it's lovely, but I bet it all gets drunk fast."

Harry grumbled into his cup of orange juice. "Do you have to be so cheerful this early in the morning? It makes me feel all grumpy, and all these stares don't help. Why didn't Se-anyone warn me?"

Hermione patted Harry on the arm and put a slice of toast on his plate. "Aunty Petunia said you should eat plenty this morning, so you have energy for lessons."

Harry grumbled again, noting with amusement that Ron seemed to be eating just as much food this morning as he did last night. Harry picked up the slice of toast Hermione had placed on his plate, marvelling at how the toast at Hogwarts tasted so different from the toast at home.

Harry spotted Ron's prefect brother, Percy, making his way along the table handing out timetables. His stomach gave a funny little squirm at the sight of the timetables and Harry pushed his plate away after eating only a slice of toast. Hermione tutted and continued eating her breakfast, every now and again, shooting worried glances at Harry's still full plate.

When the four friends finally left the great hall they were again followed by stares and whispers. Their first ever lesson at Hogwarts was Charms with a tiny professor called Flitwick. Hermione told Harry that she was quite sure he must be part-goblin; Ron nodded and mumbled something about his brothers telling him the same thing.

Harry and Hermione were relieved to find that despite their worries they weren't as far behind as they feared. Far from it in fact, because, as Harry and Hermione insisted on competing on just about everything, between them they had read and memorized almost all of the first year course books, with Hermione having read a great deal more than Harry.

Without Hermione by their sides, Ron, Harry, and Neville had agreed that they would definitely have been lost in the huge castle. On the first day at school, Hermione mapped out most of the castle and marked the classrooms in which the four friends had lessons, she had then asked one of the prefects to use a charm to duplicate the parchment for her friends so they wouldn't get so lost. Harry thought this would have been useful, but Hermione hadn't accounted for how much the staircases moved and so they still found themselves lost at least twice every day.

On Wednesday evening, when Harry and Neville had gotten lost on their way to the great hall from the boy's lavatories, they ran into a three boys near the library. Two of the boys reminded Harry of gorillas, they were about as tall as Dudley - who was by far the tallest in their class when they were in muggle school together - and twice as wide. They stood on both sides of the other boy, hunched over with their fists clenched and their piggy little eyes staring dully at Harry and Neville.

The boy in the middle was thinner than the other two and very pale. He had sleek silvery-blonde hair and cold grey eyes. He had a sharp pointed face, which reminded Harry of what he imagined a pixie would look like. He smirked nastily at Neville and looked at Harry. "Ah, Potter. I was hoping I'd run into you. My father wrote me a letter, you see, he told me how when your parents… died, you were sent to live with muggles."

Harry nodded frowning. "Yeah, I live with my aunt and uncle."

The boy smirked again. "That explains everything."

"Explains what?"

"My father couldn't understand why someone of your… _standing_ would choose to associate himself with a muggle-born, a blood traitor," He paused and looked down his nose at Neville. "And little more than a squib."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked looking from the boy to Neville. "And I didn't catch your name."

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." The boy held out his hand. "This is Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe."

"Oh, okay. I'm Harry and this is Neville Longbottom."

Malfoy nodded. "We know. Unfortunately, you were sorted into Gryffindor; they let all the riff raff in there, it's almost as bad as Hufflepuff. If you come with us, Potter, we'll let you know what it's like to spend time with a higher calibre wizard. My father says we are the elite, you don't want to go making friends of the wrong sort; we can help you with that."

"You're right; I don't want to make friends with the wrong sort." Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Neville look worriedly at Harry and let out a quiet whimper. Malfoy smirked and Harry glared at him. "You've really helped me out, Malfoy, given me a really clear view of the wrong sort, you know?"

Malfoy smirked again and nodded. "I usually am right." He glared at Neville. "You idiot, I can't believe you thought Potter was your friend, Longbottom. Who'd want to be friends with you? My father is a governor and he told me you barely got into Hogwarts. You're barely more than a squib, that's almost as bad as a muggleborn; the only way in which you're better than that Granger girl is your parents, but you don't even have them now do you?"

Harry glared and took a step forward, pulling his wand from his robes. "That's enough, Malfoy, you say one more word to Neville and I'll curse you into next year. You're the idiot, why would I ever want to be friends with you? You're vile, you stand there bad mouthing everyone as though you're so superior but you're just a stuck up, greasy haired git. I bet you wouldn't last two minutes without your two gorilla friends standing next to you cracking their knuckles." Harry shoved his wand back into his robes and turned on his heel. "Come on, Neville, Ron and Hermione will be wondering where we've got to."

Harry marched away down the corridor and into the library, with Neville jogging to keep up. Harry heard Malfoy shout something, but he didn't stop to listen.

They stopped at a table in a corner and Harry sat, gesturing for Neville to sit with him. "Why didn't you tell me you don't have any parents?"

Neville shrugged and looked at the floor. "I didn't think you'd be bothered. Malfoy was right, why would someone like you want to be friends with me, I'm rubbish at magic."

"Hermione says it's got a lot to do with confidence, I bet your problem is all to do with that. And you shouldn't listen to what Malfoy says anyway, he gets all of his opinions of his dad. Did you hear him? 'my father says this' and 'my father says that', he doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Malfoy is just a spoiled brat. My brother gets a bit like that when he's tired or hungry, but at least _his_ parents tell him to grow up and stop being so rude."

"You have a brother?" Neville asked.

"Not really, he's my cousin, but he's more like my brother than anything else. I am interested in what happened to your parents, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want."

Neville nodded slowly. "I suppose we're sort of in the same boat. After you beat you-know-who, some of his followers thought my parents might know how to get him back. They broke into my house and attacked my parents. My mum hid me in the cupboard under the stairs so they wouldn't find me. She put up silencing charms and wards so they wouldn't see the door. She gave up her chance to get away to protect me. They tortured my parents for hours and hours, they used a spell called the Cruciatus curse; gran told me all about it last year. I think that's the only name of a spell I won't ever forget."

"Did they catch the people who killed them?" Harry asked, pretending not to notice Neville wiping tears from his eyes.

"There were four people who did it. One of them was barely out of school and I think he was my second cousin or something. He died in prison a few years ago. The other three are still alive in Azkaban, there was one woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, and she was the leader of the group. Lestrange is also Malfoy's mum's sister."

Harry's eyes widened in horror. "No! How could he say what he said to you knowing that his aunt did that? I should go back and hex him."

"You don't know enough spells to do that. Malfoy's family are just as bad as the Lestranges, I heard that his dad was a Death Eater, but pretended he was forced to do all the bad stuff he did."

"But surely after his sister-in-law killed your parents they'd realize how horrid he is."

"They didn't kill my parents. They're in St. Mungo's; they have been since I was one. Gran told me mum and dad won't get better. The Cruciatus curse broke their minds; they've forgotten everything, and they won't ever be able to remember anything." Neville sniffed and wiped his face on the sleeve of his robe. "It's all my fault, if they didn't have me they'd have been able to escape. My mum decided to try and save me instead of escape."

Harry suddenly felt sick to his stomach; he couldn't even begin to comprehend how someone could do what Lestrange had done. Although the news of the fate of Neville's parents horrified him, he also felt honoured that Neville had shared his darkest of secrets with him and felt a sudden urge to share his story with Neville.

"It's my fault my mum died. When Dumbledore left me at my aunt's he told her that my mum sacrificed herself to save me. Voldemort gave her the chance to escape and survive, but she didn't, she stayed and was killed." Harry sniffed, trying to hold back tears; he'd never known his parents but the knowledge that he was responsible for his own mother's death made him feel terrible. He was supposed to be the one comforting Neville, not the other way around.

"Why would you-know-who give your mum a chance to leave? I always heard he went for your parents because they were becoming a threat to him and his Death Eaters; apparently, they challenged you-know-who three times." Neville frowned.

"I don't think Dumbledore was wrong." Harry said.

"Me neither, but why would you-know-who offer to let your mum go? He must've really wanted to kill you."

Harry shivered. "That's a really scary thought."

Neville nodded. "I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I thought you-know-who was that desperate to kill me, it's lucky you defeated him when you did."

_OOOOO_

Friday seemed to arrive very quickly, and with it came the lesson Harry was both most looking forward to, but also dreading. The lesson was potions with _Professor Snape_; Harry was already struggling to call his uncle by this name. Severus had made potions out to be a brilliantly interesting lesson and had promised that if Harry concentrated and studied his course books he would be just as good at this lesson as his mother had been. He had spent several weeks before he came to Hogwarts reading and re-reading the potions book he had been set, desperate to not disappoint his uncle.

As they neared the potions classroom, Harry couldn't help but wonder how his uncle could possibly spend so much time in the cold, damp dungeons of the school. The classroom itself was colder and darker than the rest of the school; Harry thought this was already creepy without the pickled dead things floating around in the jars, which lined the dungeon walls.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville all took seats to one side of the classroom, as far away from Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle as they could get.

When all of the class was seated, Severus closed to door with a flick of his wand and turned to the class.

_"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word. _Harry was surprised at his ability to keep the whole class silent without any effort whatsoever.

_"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." _Severus met Harry's eyes and smirked slightly. "Mr. Potter, tell me _what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" _

Harry bit his lip. He knew this one; Hermione had asked him it only a few days ago in the car on the way to Kings Cross station when they'd been going over what they'd learnt from their textbooks. He met Hermione's eyes briefly and she nodded encouragingly at him. He closed his eyes tight and finally the answer came to him. Harry felt as though he'd been sitting there in silence for at least a few minutes, and blurted out the answer without taking a breath. "DraughtofLivingDeath."

"I'm sorry?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry blushed. "The Draught of the Living Death, _sir."_

Severus smiled proudly at Harry before quickly catching himself and nodding. "Correct. Miss Granger, _where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?_" He turned to Hermione.

"You would look in the stomach of a goat; a bezoar can be used as a cure for most potions."

Severus again smiled briefly at Hermione and nodded. "Very good. Now, Mr. Malfoy, w_hat is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?_"

Harry desperately hoped that Malfoy didn't know that answer, but was disappointed to hear him politely answer. "They are both the same plant, Professor."

Severus nodded for the third time and addressed the class as a whole. "I am glad to see that at least three of you have decided to pick up a book before coming to this lesson today, perhaps this year will not be quite as torturous as previous ones." He then glared at the class and asked them why they hadn't taken any notes.

Hermione blushed and quickly pulled out her quill, whilst Ron grumbled about how much a git Severus was.

Once the class had finished writing their notes, Severus told them to get into pairs and set them to work mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. Harry and Hermione immediately began their work on the potion, desperate to do Severus proud by brewing a perfect potion.

Severus swooped around the classroom like an oversized bat, criticizing everyone's potions and avoiding Harry and Hermione. Harry frowned at him. The swooshing noises his cloak made was very off putting, and Aunt Petunia had told him before the start of term that it would be improper to laugh at his uncle during a lesson. Harry whispered this to Hermione who snorted into their cauldron and looked up.

"Just ignore it, we've told him enough times he's like a bat. Maybe it's just the look he's going for."

Harry smiled and added a handful of dried nettles to the potion. Harry and Hermione were just adding the final ingredients to their potion, when the room was filled with a horrible smelling green smoke. Ron and Neville had somehow managed to melt their potion into a twisted greyish blob. Their potion flowed across the floor and Severus swooped down on them.

"Idiots!" He growled, cleaning away the potion with a wave of his wand. Neville flinched away from him, and Ron's face turned red. The potion had spilt on the two boys and boils began popping up all over their bodies. _"I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" _

He glared again and gestured at the door. "You two, go to the hospital wing. Ten points each from Gryffindor for your stupidity." He watched them go before turning to Harry and Hermione. "Your potion seems good enough, _for now_."

An hour later, when Hermione and Harry were heading back to Gryffindor tower, they ran into Ron and Neville who were still fuming about the fact that Severus had taken points from them for getting their potion wrong. "I can't believe he did that, what a git. Fred and George were right about him!" Ron seethed. "_Concieo_." He spat in the direction of the Fat Lady.

The Fat Lady wagged her finger and frowned disapprovingly at him. "There's no need to shout. I can hear you perfectly well if you just speak."

Ron glared at her as the portrait hole swung open and the four friends clambered through. Harry and Neville's eyes briefly met, and Harry grinned as the other boy rolled his eyes at their friend's antics. "Madam Pomfrey fixed us right away. Gran was right; she said potions was really hard."

"It's not that hard. You've just got to concentrate when you're making it." Harry said sitting in a squashy armchair between Hermione and Neville.

"I can't even concentrate. Professor Snape makes me really, really nervous." Neville shuddered.

"Why? Se-nape isn't that scary. He _does_ swoop around the place like an oversized bat, but other than that he isn't scary." Harry said, watching as Hermione tried to calm Ron down.

"How can you even say that? I'd be terrified he'd be hiding behind me invisible."

"Hmm. He isn't that bad."

Neville shook his head and un-zipped his bag, pulling out a piece of paper and a quill. Harry smiled and picked up an old copy of the Daily Prophet and flicking through.

"Hermione, have a look at this." Harry folded over the paper and handed it to Hermione.

_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_

_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._

_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._

Hermione frowned. "We were in Diagon Alley that day, remember? We went back to Flourish and Blotts because you wanted that book for your birthday."

"Yeah I know. We could've seen the person that broke in when we were just walking down the street. That weird bloke you pointed out with the greasy silver hair looked a bit shifty." Harry said, sitting on the edge of his and grinning wildly.

Hermione laughed. "Yes and remember that other _'shifty bloke'_ you saw talking to himself and wearing that purple turban?" Harry blushed, and Hermione looked up at Ron and Neville. "That _'shifty bloke'_ was Professor Quirrell."

Ron and Neville snorted. "It's not that funny. He does look a bit odd." Harry said indignantly, crossing his arms.

Ron smiled. "Yeah, Fred and George say that he stuffs his turban with garlic because he met a vampire on his travels, and he's always afraid it'd come back and meet him. Percy told me he taught Muggle Studies a few years back, but then he disappeared for a year and came back with a turban, a stutter and Dumbledore gave him the Defence against the Dark Arts job."

"So maybe he is a bit of a shifty character." Harry said.

Hermione and Neville snorted. "Shifty character? You sound like Uncle Vernon, 'shifty character'." Hermione grinned and rolled her eyes at him. "I never did tell Dud that he was our Professor. I'll have to tell him when he sends Smudge back with his letter."

Harry's eyes sparkled. "I bet he chose Smudge just because he's so small and can't carry the huge letters he knew you'd try to send him."

"Smudge is a fast little owl though. And if I need to send a big letter I'll just have to borrow Hedwig off you." Hermione smiled.

_OOOOO_

_To Harry,_

_How's Hogwarts? You wouldn't believe who's here at Smeltings, it's Piers Polkiss. Do you remember him? We used to go to school together before we moved to the terrace. He's not as bad as he was before, we're sharing a dorm and so far he hasn't broken anything of mine although he did snap his Smeltings stick. Mr. Burgundy (Our head of year) gave him detention for a week._

_Well done on getting into Gryffindor__,__ we knew you would. Have you made any new friends yet? You didn't say in your last letter. How's Hermione__?__ Tell her well done as well (I'm going to send her a letter with Smudge as soon as mum sends him back, I've been sending letters to mum and dad with him because he's faster than normal post.). _

_Thanks for the sweets, I got them just before I left for school so me and dad shared them, they were great, I really liked the __beans.__Dad__ got an orange peel one__,__ which I thought was really weird, there was a milk flavour one too__,__ and I never knew you could get sweets that taste so much like the real thing. Magic sweets are really __cool._

_How's Uncle Tobias (I got told to put that in letters in case someone gets hold of my letter and reads it. Don't you think it's like being in a proper spy movie?) Anyway, is Uncle Tobias a good teacher? Have you got in any trouble yet? Mum said she hopes not._

_Anyway I'd best send this now before anyone comes along a sees me tying this letter to an owl, I'd probably get done for animal cruelty._

_See you soon._

_From Dud._

_Dear Dud__,_

_I'm great. How are you?_

_I do remember Piers, it's good you've got a friend at Smeltings. Hogwarts is great so far, I've made a few new friends. One of them is called Neville Longbottom__,__he__ shares my dorm__,__ and my other good friend is Ron Weasley __- __he has five older brothers, three of them go to Hogwarts, a prefect and two really cool twins __- __ who also shares my dorm. There are two other boys in my dorm called Seamus and Dean__,__ but I haven't really talked to them all that much yet_

_Hermione told me to tell you that that bloke with __the__ bright purple turban (the one who was muttering to himself) we saw in Diagon Alley__,__ who we both agreed looked a bit shifty 'cause he was glaring a lot at people is actually our professor. _

_Uncle Tobias' lesson was quite good__,__ but Ron and Neville got told off for melting their cauldron (Mine and Hermione's was perfect). We're even getting flying lessons this Friday__,__ but unfortunately it's with the Slytherins__.__ I know Tobias said they weren't bad so I think it might just be something to do with this lot. There's this one called Malfoy who's horrible and really hates me. I wanted to try and curse him the other day because he was bullying Neville__,__ but I haven't been taught any hexes or anything so I can't so we just glare at each other for __now._

_I can't wait until flying lesson anyway, even if Dean and Ron had a big argument because Ron said that Quidditch is better than football, but Dean is from a muggle family and doesn't know about Quidditch__,__ and Ron is pureblood and doesn't know anything about football. Me and Seamus are the only ones who knew about both__,__ but we were laughing too much to help because the argument had started because Ron was poking Dean's West Ham poster with his wand, trying to get the footballers to move._

_See you soon. Hermione said she expects your owl very soon._

_From Harry._

_Dudley__,_

_You wouldn't believe what your brother's done now. _

_So, he's decided that this boy, Draco Malfoy, is his new 'enemy' because he was bullying Neville. Neville got a magic ball in the post the other day from his Gran, it's called a 'Remembrall' and it tells you if you've forgotten something. Neville had it in his pocket when we had flying__,__ but he was a bit scared and when he fell of his broom and broke his wrist__,__ it fell out of his pocket and onto the floor._

_Malfoy took it and got on his broom and started flying above us all and teasing Harry. I think he was trying to goad Harry into getting onto his broom because our teacher had told us we would be in big trouble if we did when she took Neville to the hospital wing. But Harry fell for the trick because he always feels like he has to be a hero. _

_He got caught__,__ of course, but instead of getting in trouble the deputy head came out and made him join the house team (which is so typical of him). Harry, of course, was really excited and he even got sent a new broom. The broom he was sent is a '__N__imbus 2000'__,__ which Ron says is the fastest racing broom in the world, again it's typical isn't it? He breaks the rules and gets a new broom. Ron's brothers are also on the team as beaters__,__ and they told Harry that he's the youngest person to make the house team in a hundred years__,__ which I have to say__,__ is quite an achievement even if he did break a tonne of school rules to get there. Don't tell him I said that__,__ I'm still annoyed at him from breaking the rules, and not getting in trouble for it._

_The worst part of all this__,__ is that Malfoy has now come up with an idea to get Harry in trouble again__,__ and has challenged him to a wizards duel. Harry, like the idiot he is, fell for Malfoy's trick AGAIN, and they're planning on meeting at midnight tonight. I've been roped into going with them because I'm the only one who actually knows what Malfoy is up to. I suppose I don't have to worry too much though because if he gets caught they'll probably buy him a car or something equally ridiculous, you really wouldn't believe how much wizards seem to love him._

_Anyway__,__ I can't wait to see you at Christmas__,__ and I'm ever so glad you're enjoying Smeltings so far. See you soon._

_Lots of Love, _

_Hermione._

_To Hermione__,_

_You sound like you're having great fun. Harry told me all about how that Malfoy boy tricked you and you ended up in a little room with a big three headed dog. (He also said you weren't scared at all and that you pointed out a trap door under the dog's feet)._

_You'll have to tell me all about the ghosts at Hogwarts, Harry mentioned two (the bloody baron and one called Peeves)__;__ I didn't even know wizards could have ghosts. Could Aunt Lily be a ghost? Tell Harry that Dad sent me a letter saying Aunt Marge is in __the__ hospital (she fell over one of her new puppies and broke her leg, I thought it might cheer him up if he's still upset about his ruined duel)._

_I didn't tell him you were pretending to be angry at him__,__ and I bet you're doing it again now because he almost got you caught by that evil cat (you should give her a good kick, I bet she wouldn't bother you then). But you shouldn't leave it too long because Uncle Tobias said it could be damaging to the you-know-what. _

_I hope your friend Neville is okay now __can__ all grown up wizards fix bones like Uncle Tobias? If not__,__ you should send him to Uncle Tobias I bet he can help_

_Do you know when Harry's first Quwiditch practice is? If he's already had it__,__ would you get him to tell me how it went? _

_It's less than three __months__ to Christmas. (Me and Piers were adding it up in the calendar in our dorm.) See you soon._

_From Dud._

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews, favourites and alerts from everyone reading the story.**

**I am not changing this story from being slash and it will definitely not be Harry/Slytherin, especially not Malfoy. The pairings will become pretty obvious as the story progresses. **

**I'd like to say a big thanks to the awesome Bitch Goddess for being my beta, thank you!**

**-beksta**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harry had his first Quidditch lesson with Oliver Wood the morning after his run in with the giant three-headed dog in the forbidden corridor. When Harry flew, he felt as though he'd been born to fly. When it got dark, Severus had come out onto the grounds in search of Harry, telling Wood sternly that he needed a word with Harry and Hermione about their potions assignment.

Wood had paled as soon as he'd seen the head of Slytherin House, and had told Harry that it was too dark to practice anyway before quickly gathering the Quidditch things and vanishing into the darkness. The moment the Quidditch captain was out of sight Severus's frown turned to a smile and he pulled Harry into a hug in a rare display of affection.

"I'm very proud of you, Harry. Although, with you on the Gryffindor team, I'm not sure my house will have a chance at winning the Quidditch cup." Severus smiled and let go of his nephew. "Come on, we'd better get down to my office. Hermione is waiting."

Harry nodded as Severus set off across the grounds at a brisk pace. Harry slung his broom over his shoulder and jogged after his uncle, trying his best to look as though he really didn't like his uncle.

It didn't take long for them to reach the dungeons. Hermione stood waiting outside the door to Severus's classroom. He gestured for the two children to follow him down the corridor to his office. Severus waved his wand in front of the door, and told Harry and Hermione to enter the room; he followed them in, leading them to a shelf of dead, floating potion ingredients.

Severus took out his wand, and tapped the lid of the top right hand jar. The rack of shelves slid to the left with a deafening groan. "Is this where you live in Hogwarts?" Harry asked, peering into the opening where the shelves had just stood.

"Yes, this is one of the entrances to my private quarters, I will show you the other entrance later." Severus flicked his wand into the darkness and the gas lamp on the wall flared into life.

Severus led the two children down a small passageway and up a flight of stairs into a small room. Severus' sitting room was sparsely decorated. The walls were painted a dark grey colour and Harry couldn't see any pictures on the walls. A grandfather clock stood in the corner of the room and there was a small sofa in front of the fire, laid over one arm of the sofa was an open muggle book, which Hermione had bought him the previous Christmas; but other than that Harry could barely see anything personal in the room.

Severus gave the two children a brief tour of his quarters: the sitting room, the toilet, the tiny kitchen and the bedroom. The other rooms were just as empty as the sitting room was, and the only sign that someone may be staying there for long periods of time was two small pictures by the side of Severus's bed. The first was a black and white wizarding photograph of Severus, when he was at Hogwarts, standing arm in arm with Harry's mother. The second was a muggle photo of Severus, Harry, the Dursleys, and the Grangers standing knee deep in snow on a skiing holiday in France.

Hermione smiled when she saw the picture before frowning slightly. "Severus, if someone comes in here your cover will be blown."

"No one outside the Order of the Phoenix has ever been inside my quarters, and even then they rarely come inside my bedroom."

"But what if they did?" Harry asked, looking up at his uncle.

"There's a secrecy charm on the photographs, anyone who I don't want to see the photographs won't."

"What will they see?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but they will not see your families or Harry's mother. Come, we'll go into the sitting room, I have a pot of tea on the coffee table for us."

Harry and Hermione nodded and followed their uncle back into the other room. Severus gestured for them to sit. Hermione sat on the sofa and Harry put a cushion on the floor, resting his back against the wall.

"I thought you said you were going to be really nasty to us in potions, but all you did was ignore us." Harry said, wrapping his arms around his knees as Severus lit a fire in the grate.

Severus smiled weakly. "I found it difficult, you may be half Potter, but you are also Lily's son. I think it may be easier if I just ignore you in lessons."

Harry nodded. "What if I did something bad in the corridor, like throw a Fanged Frisbee at Mrs. Norris, and Filch sent me to you? Wouldn't you have to be quite harsh on us because you _hate_ me?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Although, I sincerely hope you do not take it upon yourself to follow the lead of the Weasley twins. I will be most disappointed in you if you do something like that, and will not find it at all difficult to give you a harsh punishment. In fact, even if I wasn't trying to maintain my cover as your uncle, I would be obligated to give you a stricter punishment than usual. Although, of course you do not intend on breaking _any _school rules, do you?"

Harry and Hermione quickly shook their heads. "No, we'd never." Hermione said, just as Harry said:

"We've only done it once, and we _don't _plan on doing _that_ again."

Severus frowned at Harry. "What school rule have you broken?"

"Nothing much really, only one," Harry frowned considered the rules he may have broken. "Actually two I think, but that's it, maybe a couple other minor ones too." Harry felt Hermione mentally kick him through the bond. A sharp pain when through his knee, and he hissed in pain. "Hermione, how did you do that? It hurt!"

Hermione hissed. "You should learn to keep your mouth closed."

Harry glared at her, and was about to answer her back when Severus asked sternly. "Which two school rules did you break? You do realize that the school rules are in place for your own safety, don't you?"

"Well, I got on my broom when Madam Hooch said not to." Harry lied feeling suddenly very guilty, he seemed to have a talent for making his family worry about his safety.

"Harry I will find out, regardless of whether you decide to tell me now." Severus said his voice stern and his eyes hard.

Harry sighed. "Malfoy lured me out after curfew, and Filch found out so I had to hide in the out of bounds area on the third floor."

"Of course, and what happened after that?" Severus asked.

"I used Alohamora to get in, and found this massive, huge three-headed dog. Hermione said it's called a Cerberus."

"I should have known." Severus sighed. "Not even here a term and you manage to find Fluffy."

"Fluffy?" Hermione asked aghast.

Severus nodded. "The Cerberus' name."

"It has a name?" Harry asked.

"Of course it has a name, although I'm not sure Fluffyis particularly fitting." Severus said, pouring each of them a cup of tea.

"So if you know so much about this dog, then you must know what it's hiding." Hermione said, taking the cup and saucer Severus handed her.

Harry choked back a laugh as Severus's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared into his hair. "Of course, I know, and before either of you even ask, no, I will not tell you."

Harry nodded. "Fair enough, but if you won't tell us what the dog is hiding, will you at least tell us what was in that vault at Gringotts?"

"Pardon?" Severus asked.

"Well, in the Daily Prophet it said that something was supposed to be stolen from Gringotts, but wasn't because the vault was emptied earlier that day. Hermione said that for a vault to be emptied, no questions asked, nothing much could have been in there to start off with, and for someone to even risk breaking in there something really important must have been in there. And then we remembered that Hagrid said that the only place safer than Gringotts is Hogwarts, and so we came to the conclusion that Fluffy is guarding something which was moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts for it to be kept safer than it would have been in the bank." Harry took a sip of his tea and set it back down on his saucer immensely satisfied at the look of surprise on Severus' face.

"Well, if you put that much effort into researching your potions homework, then I have no doubt you will be my top Potions students." Severus said.

"So we were right then?" Hermione asked. "Because if we were, then don't you think that was very irresponsible of Dumbledore? The person who broke into Gringotts must have used dark magic, and if their target is now Hogwarts, wouldn't that put all of us in danger?"

Severus shook his head. "The reason the content of the vault was moved to Hogwarts is because Hogwarts is impenetrable. No students are in danger, because it is impossible for anyone to break into the school."

"So you could tell us what it is." Harry suggested. "We're pretty good at keeping secrets."

Severus raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Is that so? What about your brother? Longbottom, and the Weasley boy, will you not tell them?"

Harry shrugged. "We might just slightly tell them."

"I don't doubt that you would. However, it is not a matter of whether or not you will tell anyone, you are too young to be included in these matters." Severus looked from Harry to Hermione. "I didn't invite you here to discuss this. Please, tell me how your first few weeks have been."

Harry rolled his eyes. "My Potions professor is really annoying, and Defence against the Dark Arts is a joke."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "It's a complete waste of time; the only thing Professor Quirrell has taught us so far is that Hags shouldn't be left to baby sit children because they often eat them."

"Yeah, he said if they get a bit peckish they'll probably choose a baby over a bar of chocolate, and that wasn't even as part of the lesson, it was just a random comment at the end." Harry said in disgust.

Harry and Hermione left Severus's quarters half an hour later through the other entrance, which led out behind a picture of a depressed centaur just down the hall from Filch's office.

Harry and Hermione shared a sly smile as they headed back towards the common room. "I know for a fact there's a self-updating book, on loan from Gringotts, in the restricted section listing all of, used and unused vaults, their numbers, and owners. I think it's something to do with the payments to the schools from the ministry and various donors, the seventh year Ancient Runes students are looking at it. Apparently there is information on the dates of withdrawals and deposits. Of course, the book doesn't go into too much detail but wouldn't it be interesting to see which vaults have been emptied on, say, our birthdays? We can go see the twins tonight, and ask them for a way to sneak into the restricted section."

_OOOOO_

"Harry, wake up." Hermione gave his shoulder a prod.

Harry opened his eyes, disorientated and surprised to find himself half-lying down in one of the common room chairs by the fire.

He pushed himself up in the chair and looked around. "Where're Ron and Neville?"

Hermione closed the book she was reading and smiled at Harry. "They've gone to bed you fell asleep; I suppose playing Quidditch tired you out. It's ten o'clock, you've been asleep two hours."

Harry rubbed his eyes and looked around the common room; he was surprised to see that the only other people in the room were a couple of fifth years, and the Weasley twins.

Understanding what Harry was thinking Hermione smiled and said, "Third years and up have their first Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow, most of them wanted an early night. I think Fred and George have been banned from going on their first trip to the village because they blew up one of the boy's toilets on the second floor."

"So have you asked them yet?"

She shook her head. "I thought I'd wait until you were awake."

Harry stood up and stretched, running a hand through his hair. "Well, come on then, we should go ask them now, before they go to bed." He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her up onto her feet.

They crossed the common room and slid into two spare chairs at the table where Fred and George were sitting. "Harry, Hermione, so nice to see you." One of the twins said.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We need to sneak into the restricted section of the library, but we can't get caught, because Se-Snape's… got it in for us." Harry said, feeling himself blush slightly as the twins shared twin, incredulous smiles.

"The great Harry Potter-"

"Asking us for help-"

"I think this truly shows we are the best pranksters ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts."

One of the twins looked down at the piece of parchment he was holding and sighed. "That is, of course, not counting the marauders-"

The other twin looked at what his brother was looking at and let out a small chuckle. "Who were far superior in every way-"

"If only we knew who they were-"

"I'd love to have a word with them." The twins sighed in unison and looked up at Harry and Hermione. "You don't know who the marauders are, do you?"

Harry frowned, the named _did _sound familiar, but he couldn't think where he'd heard it. Hermione gasped and he whirled around to look at her. "I've heard someone talk about the marauders. Harry, remember when we first… met, your uncle's _boss_ came over to our house, he said 'the only son of the marauders has become a like a son to you'."

Harry frowned. "How do you even remember that? That conversation happened years ago."

She smiled and said in a flat voice. "It was a big day for me."

"Wait, so this uncle of yours is he like a parent to you?" One of the twins asked.

"I suppose so, we are pretty close." Harry said shrugging. "Why?"

"I just can't believe it-"

"You're the wizarding world hero and-"

"The child of a marauder."

"Typical." They both said in unison, rolling their eyes.

One of the twins heaved a sigh, and handed Harry a sheet of old parchment. "Well, I s'pose this is yours."

"What's this?" Harry said, wrinkling his nose at the parchment. "What do I need this for? It's just a bit of old parchment."

"A bit of old parchment!" One of the twins said; Harry thought he could be Fred, putting his hand over his heart and gasped in horror.

"Blaspheme!" said the twin who could be George.

"So if it's not just a bit of parchment, what is it?" Hermione asked, peering down at the parchment. "Does it have magical properties?"

Fred shrugged. "I suppose you could say that."

"But _what _is it?" Harry asked.

"This, Harry, is the secret to our success."

"It's called the marauder's map, and it was made by, I assume your father-"

"Though we're not sure which one he is." Fred peered down at the map. "Which one of you is James _or_ Lily Potter?"

Hermione raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You don't expect it to answer you, do you?"

Fred just smiled at her and looked back at the parchment. "Just watch." Black ink began to scroll across the parchment.

_Mr. Padfoot is amazed that Mr. Prongs ever managed to tame the fearsome Evans._

_Mr. Prongs takes offence to Mr. Padfoot's comments__,__ and would like to enquire as to the age of his offspring._

"He's eleven." George told the map, which was now lying open on the table.

_Mr. Wormtail would like to welcome Prongs Junior to Hogwarts._

_Mr. Moony agrees with Mr. Wormtail__,__ and adds that he is so very proud Prongs Junior has decided to follow in his father's footsteps of mischief making._

_Mr. Prongs is sad to say that he will not allow Prongs Junior access to this map until he is thirteen, because if he truly did marry the beautiful Evans he doesn't want to get into too much trouble._

_Mr. Padfoot would like it to be noted that he encourages Prongs Junior to break as many school rules as he can__,__ as soon as he can, and if your mother doesn't like that__,__ Prongs Junior can feel free to blame his devilishly handsome Uncle Padfoot._

_Mr. Moony agrees whole__-__heartedly with Mr. Padfoot, except the handsome part as we all know Mr. Moony is the most handsome marauder. _

George picked up the map and folded it in half. "Well, I suppose we'll have to just honour your father's wishes-"

"But when you open your birthday present when you're thirteen-"

"You'll have to, at least, try and look surprised."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, a little disappointed by the map. Supposing that Mr. Prongs really was his father, Harry found he was left with more questions about him, all of which wouldn't be answered for another two years. "Yeah, okay, whatever you want. How about sneaking out though, will you help us?"

George grinned. "Of course, we'll help you-"

"We delight in leading others astray-"

"Especially you ickle firsties." George reached out and pulled Harry into a headlock, not letting him go until his hair was well and truly ruffled, which didn't really take much effort on George's part.

"Right, now that's out of the way, go get your cloaks and we'll be off." Fred said, rubbing his hands together.

"What, now?" Hermione yelped.

"No, next week." George rolled his eyes. "We're off now, we were thinking of going to the kitchens anyway."

"Yeah, but don't we need a plan?" Hermione asked.

"What would we need a plan for?" Fred asked

"We're not breaking into Gringotts, we're just off down to the library, no big deal." George shrugged.

Harry nodded and took two steps away from George so that he was no longer within arm's reach. George's eyes met Harry's and he saw he was frowning in mock hurt. Harry blushed and looked down at his feet. The twin smirked and grabbed Hermione by the hand, dragging her towards the door. "Come on, Freddie, we've got two first years to corrupt."

The other twin grabbed Harry's wrist and turned to the two fifth years who were watching them leave. "Not a word, you two, if you blab to Percy that we sneaked Harry Potter and his girlfriend out of the common room after curfew we'll do something really bad-"

"Something sneaky and highly embarrassing for you-"

"We'll strike when you're least expecting it and then BAM-"

"You'll be spending the next week walking around like you have a broom shoved up you're a-"

Hermione punched George, who still had hold of her hand, in the arm. "That's enough you two, and I'm not Harry's girlfriend."

"For a first year you hit really hard." George said rubbing his arm. "You should meet up with my little sister Ginny, she punches like you- gave me a nosebleed just before we set off to platform nine and three quarters."

"If you want to go now, we should go." Hermione said, trying to pull away from George. "Although, I don't see how it would hurt to wait."

George kept hold of her and pushed the portrait hole open, ignoring the Fat Lady who immediately began to question them on where they were going. "Tonight's the best night, really." George said.

"Yeah, we'll be tired from detention and sneaking into Hogsmeade tomorrow-"

"And after that Quidditch practice begins-"

"Three evenings a week and all of Sunday-"

"You, Hermione, will be the only one who isn't too tired." The twins said.

Thanks to Fred and George's secret passageways, they managed to make it to the library without detection, and in just over half the time it would usually take to get to the library from Gryffindor tower.

Harry couldn't help but think how eerie it was, walking through the library in the dark, he half-expected madam Pince to jump out from behind a bookcase and hex the lot of them. Hermione held her head up high, and lead the way to the restricted section. Fred and George shared twin looks of amusement before jogging after her. Harry followed behind, keeping an eye out for Filch or Madam Pince.

Harry didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath until they came to the entrance of the restricted section. He silently admonished himself, he was supposed to be a Gryffindor and yet, here he was frightened he would be caught sneaking around after hours, some son of a marauder.

Hermione found the book she wanted in the back corner of the library, she quickly lit the tip of her wand, and flicked to the index page whilst Harry, Fred, and George stood on guard, looking for any prefects, teachers or ghosts that might be patrolling the corridor.

Hermione made a small noise of triumph, and Harry quickly rushed to her side, feeling both his and her excitement coiling in his stomach. "What is it?"

"Look, I found him." She pointed to a page of the book.

Harry quickly scanned the page, only taking in small bits of information. _Vault 713- Nicolas Flamel - High Security- Empty- Last withdrawal, July 31 1991._

"That's it isn't it?" Harry asked in little more than a whisper.

Hermione nodded. "I think so, but who's Nicholas Flamel? I'm sure I read his name somewhere before."

"Me too, it sounds familiar. Could we ask Uncle _Tobias_?"

"No, I don't think so, he didn't want us looking into it. But what could have been in there for it to be high security, I mean it's already impossible to break into the bank. Just imagine what could be so important for it to need to be a high security vault."

Harry turned to the twins. "We're done. We can leave now."

Fred and George nodded silently, and beckoned for Harry and Hermione. Harry heard Hermione whisper 'Nox' and they were once again in complete darkness. Harry took a deep breath and crept after the others as quietly as he could. Hermione always said that he was stealthy, it was part of the reason she called him 'cat boy', his aunt often threatened to attach a cat bell to all of his clothes to stop him creeping up on, and frightening, various family members. They often joked he got this talent from Severus, who also had a tendency to simply materialize behind you.

Of course, just as the thought passed through Harry's mind, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. They'd already been down to the kitchens and back, and now, with their stomachs heavy with their late night stack, all four students had forgotten to be completely quiet.

Harry stopped dead and whirled around, coming face to face with his glaring uncle. He had just enough time send a warning through his bond to Hermione, who was just a bit further up the corridor with George, before Severus swooped down on him and Fred.

"What do you think you're doing?" He snarled.

"Uh-"

"Sleepwalking." Fred said quickly. "Oh, Harry, you sleep walk too do you?" He turned to Harry with a look of surprise on his face, as though he'd only just noticed him there.

"Uh, yeah."

Severus raised an eyebrow mockingly. "In your school uniform?"

"Well, I always sleep in my clothes, just in case something happens and I can be up and out without having to get dressed, you know. And I suppose Harry was just so tired after his Quidditch practice, he just fell asleep as soon as he got back to the common room."

"And this is why neither of you have your usual accomplices with you?" Severus said.

Harry nodded solemnly. "Hermione doesn't sleep walk."

"I don't believe that you do either, Mr. Potter. Do you know what I think, Potter? I think you thought that you could sneak out after hours, because you think you are above the rules. This arrogance is nothing more than what I expected from you, Potter; you're just like your father."

"Harry's dad was a legend. Have you ever heard of the marauders? Yeah? Well James Potter was like their leader." Fred said in defence of Harry and his father.

"I have, in fact, met the marauders." Severus said in a stiff voice. "Two of them are no longer alive, one is a werewolf, and the other is in Azkaban serving a life sentence. Are these the sort of people you look up to, Mr. Weasley? At the age of sixteen, one of your Marauder heroes tried to feed a student to his werewolf friend. Do you aspire to be like these people, Mr. Weasley?"

Fred didn't answer. He and Harry shared a startled look and Severus frowned down at them. "I see you both feel no remorse for your actions. Your arrogance amazes even me; do you think that the rules that the rest of us follow are below you? Both of you will serve detention with me on Monday night, and if I ever catch either of you out after hours again you'll be very sorry indeed." He roared in anger.

Harry felt his stomach clench painfully as his uncle looked down at him in disappointment. "I thought better of you."

Fred frowned. "Did you really? Why's that?"

Severus faltered for a second, as though he was trying to work out why he would think better of them. He clenched his teeth and growled in a very low voice. "Back chat me again, Weasley, and I'll have you, and your twin, in detention every night until the Christmas holidays."

Fred looked as though he was going to say something in return; he opened his mouth and closed it again, apparently deciding instead to bite his tongue. Harry sighed in relief; he didn't even want to know what would happen to Fred if he had decided to aggravate Severus further.

"I think you'd better make your way back to Gryffindor tower; I will be writing letters to your guardians tonight, and I expect to see you at five o'clock sharp on Monday night. If for any reason you do not show up, I will have you scrubbing bed pans in the hospital wings without magic every day for a month, do you understand?" Harry shrank away from his uncle's angry glare.

Harry and Fred both looked down at their feet and muttered, "Yes, sir."

Severus glared once more at the two boys and turned on his heel, marching back down the corridor. "Merlin, you were right, Snape really does have it in for you."

Harry nodded glumly. "We got off pretty light though, only one night. He even forgot to take points off us."

"Yeah, but did you see his face? I think he was just too angry to remember to do anything, normally he would shout and shout and then drag you off to his office by your ear and give you a tonne of detentions."

"Well, lucky us." Harry said hollowly.

"George, Hermione?" Fred called into the darkness. "Are you there? Snape's gone."

Harry reached out to Hermione through the bond trying to feel if he could sense her anywhere nearby, the first time he'd done this was when Hermione had got herself stuck up a tree at their own school, and from then on Harry and Hermione had never had to wonder where the other was. "They're not here. I saw them run off down the corridor when Snape crept up on us."

Fred huffed, "Nice of George to leave us to get in trouble."

"I did try and get them to go; I was waving my arms like mad, trying to get them to run. Didn't you notice?" Harry lied.

"No, I was too busy trying to think of an excuse, sleepwalking." He shook his head in disgust as they made their way back to the common room. "I haven't used an excuse that crap since I was five and got in trouble for giving Ron an acid pop. I reckon I must be tired, _sleep walking_." He shook his head again.

_OOOOO_

_Dudley,_

_Harry's just served his tenth detention this term. He and Seamus Finnegan, who shares a dorm with Harry, locked Draco Malfoy in the girl's bathroom. This wouldn't be such a bad thing__,__ if the Weasley twins hadn't spent the morning practicing a regurgitating curse on the toilets in that very bathroom. (That bathroom is out of order because it is haunted.) Anyway, Malfoy turned up in transfiguration forty__-__five minutes late__,__ he was completely soaked and coated in… well, you know. The transfiguration teacher was furious (even more than usual__,__ because they'd somehow managed to rope Neville in, who never normally behaves like that) she's got them cleaning out the trophy room for a full week (Harry assures me that it still only counts as one detention since it's all part of one punishment)._

_After the troll incident on Halloween night__,__ Ron and Dean have taken to following Hagrid around the school. I'm not sure if Harry told you this__,__ but we suspect Hagrid may be trying to steal whatever it is that the Cerberus is guarding. We've seen him going into that room several times already. Each time he takes a sack in and comes running out about ten minutes later with scratches all over his face__.__A__nd the other week__,__ at Harry's first __Q__uidditch match__,__ the curse on Harry's broom only broke when Fred Weasley 'accidentally' hit a bludger at Professor Snape (in revenge for giving him and Harry detention) and missed, knocking Hagrid over into Professors Quirrel__l__ and Flitwick._

_We're still no closer to finding out about Nicolas Flamel, I've checked nearly every book in the library. Perhaps you could check the __S__melting__s__'s library, some wizards are also famous in the muggle world and there might be information on him in there._

_Is it snowing at your school? The grounds are covered in several feet of snow and the lake is completely frozen over. I've asked Uncle Tobias to get a picture of it for you so we can show you when Harry and me are back for Christmas._

_Only a week until we're back home now. Harry spent all of yesterday going through catalogues ordering presents, he's made a list of people to buy for, it's ridiculous, he's spent all of his pocket money and gone into some of the trust fund Aunt Petunia said he couldn't use._

_See you soon._

_Lots of Love,_

_Hermione._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy Christmas, I hope you had a great day. Gran says that I can come to your house for the rest of your holidays if it really is okay with your family (I heard that Seamus is staying at your's as well and that Hermione has got Ron and Dean over). _

_I can come on the twenty__-__seventh__;__w__hat is your address? And can I just floo straight over? _

_Thank you__,__ ever so much for the cactus, I've already put it in the greenhouse. I hope you got everything you wanted. See you tomorrow, and I can't wait to meet your brother._

_Merry Christmas,_

_Neville Longbottom._

Harry smiled as he set Neville's letter on his desk, every letter Neville had written to Harry or Hermione, he'd signed it with both his first name and surname, as though worried they wouldn't know who the letter was from if he didn't.

Harry couldn't help but think how strange it was having Neville and Seamus coming over for the Christmas holidays. If asked when he was first sorted who he thought he would like best out of all the boys in his year he would have immediately answered Ron, and yet, as the term passed, Harry found he actually had a lot more in common with Neville and Seamus.

Neville, he thought, sort of reminded him of himself. Both boys had a lot in common: they'd both lost their parents when they were one, their birthdays were within only a couple of days of each other's, and neither boy really felt they fit in at Hogwarts.

Seamus, on the other hand, was outgoing and energetic. From the moment he arrived at Hogwarts he just seemed to fit. He was friendly and good-natured, and yet, for some reason, he found himself in trouble at least once a week, often dragging Harry and Neville along with him. Seamus lived in a small town in Ireland with his mother. On Halloween he'd told Harry and Neville that his father had left his mother when he was only a small child. Mrs. Finnegan had kept her magical heritage a secret until after Seamus had been born. It had been too much for Mr. Finnegan and he left the day after finding out his wife was a witch.

"I aint seen the bastard since I were three, an' I don't plan to neither; not after what he put me mam through." He had told Harry and Neville. The conversation had ended there and they had decided not to mention Mr. Finnegan again; the bitterness in Seamus's voice had told the two boys exactly what Seamus thought of his father.

Harry smiled again, remembering his uncle David's face when Aunt Helen had told him Hermione was having two boys stay at their house after Christmas. At first, he was shocked that Hermione even wanted anyone there when she had Harry, and then he'd asked if she had any female friends she'd rather invite over. Hermione had then had to explain gently to her father that she and Harry were still best friends, but that they'd decided to try and make other friends as well so as not to alert people to their soul bond.

Harry had just finished writing his reply to Neville when his aunt called him from downstairs. "Harry, the floo alarm has just gone off; I think your friend is coming."

Harry quickly tied the letter to Hedwig's leg, and darted out of his room and down the stairs. He found Aunt Petunia waiting by the dining room fire. "Where's Dud?"

"He's gone over to Hermione's. He said something about 'a wizard who can actually draw'." She smiled, trying to rub an ink stain from Harry's collar.

"Well, I think Dean will definitely prove to Dud that wizards _can_ draw, he made a Gryffindor banner for my first Quidditch match." Harry said, trying to squirm away from his aunt.

"And the boy who is coming over today, which of your friends is he?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"Seamus, he's the one that I got caught sneaking down to the kitchens with the other week."

"Ah, so should I be worried about inviting him into my home?"

"Nah, I don't think so. If we'd invited the twins then you would have definitely had something to worry about."

"And these twins are your friend Ron's brothers?"

"Yeah, Fred, one of the twins, is who I had my first detention with."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I like this casual way you talk about your detentions. I always thought you were just like your mother, but now you're starting to behave more like your father."

"Sev said I'm a bit of both, Mum's compassion and Dad's disregard for school rules. He must've really hated Dad. Oooh, don't forget not to mention Uncle Severus in front of Neville and Seamus, they're not supposed to know."

Aunt Petunia looked down at Harry in irritation and then up at the fire, which had flared into life. The flames burnt a brilliant green and then Seamus fell from the fire. Harry bent and pulled his friend to his feet, brushing ash off his shirt as he did so.

"You must be Seamus Finnegan." Aunt Petunia said, stepping forward and taking Seamus's bags.

"Aye, pleased to meet y', Mrs. Dursley." Seamus stood up straight and held out his hand. "Y've got a lovely house, me mam sent ya these biscuits." He thrust a plate of biscuits into Aunt Petunia's hand and crinkled his face as though trying to remember something. "Nollaig Shona Duit"

Harry frowned. "What's nullig hunner?"

"'s Gaelic for Merry Christmas."

"I didn't know you can talk Gaelic." Harry said.

"I can't really, me granddad used to try teach me it but I wasn't all that interested."

"Ah." Harry nodded. "I'm I'm surprised your mum actually let you come over. She was writing you tonnes of letters last term, I'll never forget that howler you got for your fifth detention with Filch."

Seamus snorted. "She weren't right pleased, but me aunt isn't right well, she's got t' go look after Fergus and Abby whilst she's at St. Mungoes."

"Would you like a drink, Seamus?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble for y', Mrs. Dursley." Seamus said politely.

Aunt Petunia looked at Harry and smiled. "You should hang about with Seamus more often Harry, I bet he could teach you proper manners."

Harry crossed his arms indignantly. "He's the one that always gets me in trouble."

"Now, now, Harry, you'd best listen to y' aunt. There's no need to go arguin' with her." Seamus said smugly.

"How about you show Seamus up to your room, Harry. I'll just put these biscuits in the pantry." Petunia turned from the two friends and walked from the room.

"Where's y' brother? I was expectin' to meet him." Seamus asked, grabbing his trunk from beside table where Aunt Petunia had put it.

"He's gone over to Hermione's to see Dean. He's under the misapprehension that wizards can't draw." Harry shrugged, trying to take Seamus's bags from him. "Give them here, Seamus, I gotta be polite remember."

Seamus snickered. "I don't need y' to carry me bags for me."

Harry watched in surprise as Seamus picked his trunk up off the ground. He was around the same height as Harry, who planned to grow at least a foot in the next year, and didn't look any more muscular, Harry knew for a fact that the trunk weighed at least as much as his. He wondered if he really should insist on taking the trunk, it was the polite thing to do, but Seamus was definitely managing it better than Harry could have. "Are you sure you don't need a hand. Those trunks are heavy."

Seamus shook his head. "I'll be all right; you just gotta get the door for me."

Harry sighed deciding there was no point in insisting, Seamus could quite clearly manage his own trunk. And if he stood there trying to make his friend hand over his trunk, not only would he make an idiot of himself when he finally did get the trunk and couldn't lift it, but Harry also knew Seamus to be as stubborn as a mule and they could quite easily spend the whole night arguing over who would take the trunk up to Harry's room.

"Right." Harry nodded, darting to the door and pulling it open to let his friend thorough.

Seamus hoisted the trunk onto his shoulder and walked through the door looking up and down the hallway in wonder. "Wow, mate, your house is massive."

Harry chewed the cuff of his shirt uncomfortably. It was true that he and the Dursleys did live in relative luxury, but when Seamus said it like that it just made Harry feel uncomfortable. He knew quite a few of his friends at Hogwarts weren't as privileged as him, namely Ron and Seamus, but with Seamus staying at his house like that he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as though he were somehow flaunting his family's wealth.

"Uh, yeah, I s'pose it's quite big." Harry shuffled his foot uncomfortably. "Come on, we'll go dump your bag."

Seamus nodded and followed Harry up the stairs. "We do have a couple of guest rooms, but Aunt Petunia thought you and Neville might feel more comfortable sharing with me since you don't know the family right well."

"Suits me, it'll be just like at school. Which of them's yours then?"

Harry pointed to a door on the left. "My aunt thought we might all like to have sleeping bags, but if you'd prefer a bed she could ask my Uncle Tobias to come and transfigure one for you."

"Nah, I'll be all right on the floor, will I be meeting your Uncle Tobias too?" Seamus said.

"No, works a lot so I don't think he'll be able to come over, he just offered to pop in and do the beds if we needed them doing." Harry said, pushing his bedroom door open and cringing slightly. The room was big and Harry again couldn't help but feel guilty as Seamus looked around his room in wonder.

"It's as big as our dorm."

"Not really. It's bigger than the room I had before we moved here…" Harry didn't know how to finish his sentence, if he tried to downplay the size of the room he would sound snobbish, but if he acted as thought it was huge he'd sound like he was bragging. Harry winced and took a deep breath. "Here, come and have a look at this." Harry knocked on his wardrobe door.

There was no answer, so he pushed it open. "This is my other wardrobe, its magic look."

Seamus peered through the door frame. "Whose room's that?"

"Hermione's she lives next door, my Uncle Tobias did it when we were younger so we could visit each other's houses without having to go out in the street. My aunt is very safety conscious, and is terrified I'll either be kidnapped or that Voldemort will suddenly come back and his death eaters will just pop up and attack me."

Seamus shook his head. "I don't know how you can joke about you-know-who, most people can't even bring themselves t' say his name and there y' are making light of it. I bet if people'd just done that before they wouldn't be so afraid of him now." He then grinned and raised an eyebrow at Harry. "So you've access t' Hermione's room at all times?" He winked.

"You know we're not like that. Stop wiggling your eyebrows at me." Harry punched him in the arm and Seamus began to laugh.

"Merlin, Harry, no need t' be so defensive. I never said anythin'." Seamus winked again and dived at Harry with a roar. He pulled him into a headlock and ruffled his hair. "There's no need for violence, now is there?"

"Let go!"

"Apologize for resortin' t' violence." Seamus said.

"You're not going to make my hair any messier by rubbing it like that." Harry said trying to pull himself out of the headlock. "If anything you're making it neater."

"Well that's what you get for punching me. Apologize and I'll stop neatening your hair."

Harry growled, he could just imagine the smile on his friends face. Seamus didn't even seem to be putting much effort into holding Harry, how was it even fair he was so strong?

"No." Harry said. "I won't." He leant sideways and pushed all of his body weight against Seamus. The other boy stumbled and Harry laughed in triumph, pushing Seamus towards the bedroom wall. Seamus let go of Harry so he could stop himself colliding with the wall and Harry leapt to his feet, grabbing Seamus by the ankle and pulling him over. "Ha!" Harry beamed in triumph.

Seamus rubbed his arm and frowned up at Harry. "You fight dirty, Potter."

"I have to. You haven't seen Dud yet, he's built like a house. There's no other way I could win." Harry said in justification. "Anyway you're just sore 'cause I beat you."

"You cheated." Seamus said as Harry pulled him to his feet. "In a proper wrestlin' match I could beat you with me hands tied behind me back, _and_ I'm the shortest lad in our year."

"Yeah, whatever." Harry said grinning at his friend "Pick a mattress and dump your stuff. If you wanna go anywhere or do anything you'd best decide now, I don't think we'll be able to go anywhere when Neville comes, he's too excited about seeing all of the muggle stuff."

"I wan't to plan how we're going to get Malfoy back for getting us put in detention. I don't think Neville 'll approve."

Harry shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "You're as bad as Fred and George. Are you determined to get more detentions than them this year?"

"Not at all,'s just a bit o' fun, you know? We could persuade the elves in the kitchen t' put Dung Bombs in Malfoy's goblet, me cousin Fergus got me a pack for Christmas."

"How could you ensure Malfoy ended up with the goblet?" Harry asked.

"Well I s'pose I could just fill the whole o' the Slytherin table with 'em."

Harry shook his head and grinned slyly. "I'm sure we could do better than that."

_OOOOO_

Harry, Dudley, and Seamus were sitting around the dining room table, eating toast, when the floo alarm went off, indicating that Neville would be arriving soon.

Dudley sighed and tapped his fingers on the wood of the table. "Is this Neville friendly? I'm not that sure about some of your other wizard friends."

Harry smiled. Dudley had been sent home early from Hermione's house the day before, for getting into an argument with Dean Thomas over West Ham football club. "Don't worry, Dud, Neville doesn't even know about football. It's odd that Ron ended up siding with Dean though, he's normally the one that starts the fights."

"Ah, but normally the arguments start because Ron can't accept that the Cannons just can't play quidditch." Seamus said, pouring himself a cup of tea from the teapot in the middle of the table.

The fire flared into life and Neville flew from the fireplace, sliding almost halfway across the dining room on his back. Seamus leapt to his feet and pulled Neville to his feet. "Neville! How're y' doin'? Had a good Christmas?"

Harry climbed on to the table and jumped over it, pulling Neville into a hug. "You alright? I've never seen anyone fly quite so violently from the fireplace before."

"Not bad, I'm not great at floo travel, should you really be walking across the table?" Neville asked, smiling at his two friends.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I've never been told not to."

Dudley shook his head. "Just 'cause mum hasn't said you can't doesn't mean you're allowed to do it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Neville, this is my brother Dudley. He's a muggle, but he can see auras, I'm not sure if I told you that."

Neville shook his head, and took the hand that Dudley had held out to him. "Pleased to meet you. Harry told me all about you... well most things, not the auras."

"Harry and Seamus have told me all about you. They were telling me that Se-Snape bullies you."

Harry closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "God, Dud, you have no tact what so ever. Sorry, Neville, that's not all we've said about you, honest." Harry was relieved to see that Neville didn't seem to be at all offended by what may have been said behind his back. "Do you want some help with your trunk?" Harry offered.

"If you don't mind. Did you see Trevor? I think he fell out of my pocket when I fell out of the floo."

"I'm not sure. We can have a look when we've got your stuff put away." Harry said making eye contact with Seamus and grinning. "See, Neville's a proper guest, accepting our hospitality graciously and all that."

Seamus snorted. "I'd like t' see y' drag that trunk all the way upstairs."

"I've got my big brother, Dudley, to give me a hand; he's stronger than _you__,_ Finnegan." Harry smirked.

"He's also about a foot taller than me too; Dudley is built like some kind of pro wrestler." Seamus said.

"Not quite." Dudley said with a small smile. "But I bet I am stronger."

Harry smiled; pleased to see how well his brother and friends seemed to be getting on. He'd been worried, after the incident with Dean that Dudley would be left out but it seemed he was managing all the wizards in his house quite well.

"We can have a wrestling match to see. As long as y' don't cheat like your little brother over there." Seamus pointed his thumb at Harry.

"Harry has to cheat. He might be a bit taller than you, but he is still a spaghetti man, that's why he's so speedy." Dudley said. Harry couldn't work out if his brother was defending him or mocking him.

"Huh, spaghetti man, you're right, his arms are a bit like spaghetti." Seamus lifted Harry's arm above his head and let it fall.

Dudley rolled his eyes and turned to Neville. "You know what's odd?"

Neville's eyes widened and he gulped. "No, what's odd?"

"Well, you know about the whole aura thing? Wizards always have gold in their auras and out of any I've met Harry's and Professor Dumbledore's are the brightest I've seen. I talked to Hermione about it and she said that she thinks the colour is linked to raw magical power." Dudley said, frowning.

"What's odd about that?" Seamus asked. "Harry _did_ beat you-know-who."

"No, it's not the fact Harry's powerful. You told me that that Malfoy boy said Neville was little more than a squib, but that's obviously not true." Dudley said.

Neville shook his head. "No, it is. I nearly didn't even get in; my gran thought for ages that I didn't have any magic."

"Yeah, I know that," Dudley said in frustration. "But that's not what I mean. Every one is saying you don't have much magic, but your aura is just as bright as Harry's and Dumbledore's."

Neville frowned. "That's not possible. I don't have that much magic, I'm nearly a squib."

Harry and Seamus each put and arm around Neville's shoulders and Harry grinned at him. "Course you do. You're great at magic; I bet you just don't expect yourself to do well."

Seamus nodded. "Hermione does well 'cause she's desperate t' prove herself; Harry does good 'cause he wants t' beat Hermione and-"

"Seamus does well because he's a cocky git." Harry grinned.

Seamus gasped and put a hand to his mouth in mock horror. "Merlin's beard, Harry! I never thought I'd hear such a vulgarity come from your mouth."

"I only said git." Harry protested.

Seamus gasped again, meeting Dudley's eyes and smirking. "You said it again. The Daily Prophet's gonna have a field day on this. 'Potter swears _twice_!'"

"But all I said was-"

Dudley leapt forwards to put a hand over Harry's mouth. "Spare our ears!"

"Mwff hugh shwey." Harry growled into his brother's hand.

Seamus wagged his finger at Harry. "That's enough from you, boy, else we'll be forced t' tape y' mouth shut."

Neville frowned and nudged Dudley with his elbow. "Did you actually understand what he said?"

"I don't think even he did." Dudley said, shrugging and letting go of Harry's mouth. "I'll show you around whilst these two are fighting."

Dudley picked up Neville's trunk and hoisted it onto his shoulder like Seamus had with his trunk the day before. "Once I've shown you the room you're staying in, we can have a look for your tremor."

"Trevor." Neville corrected, blushing slightly.

"Right, sorry. He's a toad isn't he? I think Hermione might have said something in one of her letters."

"Yeah, my uncle Algie bought me him when I got into Hogwarts, they didn't think I'd have enough magic."

Dudley patted Neville comfortingly on the shoulder. "Well, you've obviously got more than enough for Hogwarts. Your aura is definitely brighter than that Dean Thomas' and he doesn't seem that smart either; he seems to think West Ham is the best football team." He shook his head in irritation and opened the dining room door "Come on, you'll be sleeping in Harry's room, my mum thought you'd be more comfortable sharing with Harry and Seamus, since you normally do anyway."

Neville nodded, looking relieved by this fact. "That sounds okay." He looked around to see if Harry and Seamus had followed them out of the room, and satisfied to see that they had not, he spoke again. "I was a bit worried about staying here." He looked around again and blushed. "I've never slept over at anyone else's house before."

"You'll be fine. Mum loves people staying over. I think she likes looking after people, when my friend Malcolm came up from Surrey for the weekend, she insisted on him eating double portions at every meal. You won't go hungry here, and we're all nice; my dad _can _be a bit miserable sometimes, but that's only when the mail is late or motorbikes go speeding by, he likes to complain, but he's still nice." Dudley frowned and rubbed his chin. "I think I made you more worried, your aura flickered a bit."

Neville blushed again. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what? You're apologizing for being worried. Mum's gonna love you, she likes polite boys, she's taken a right shine to Seamus, says he's a charmer."

The two boys were now upstairs and Dudley led Neville to Harry's door and pushed it open. "This is where you'll be sleeping. Mum's put out sleeping bags for you all." Dudley pointed to the mattress closest the door. "She said it would be like a camp-out but inside, and on mattresses instead of air beds."

"Sleeping bags? Is that what those tubes are?" Neville bent down to examine one of the sleeping bags. "Is this the muggle equivalent of blankets?"

Dudley laughed. "No, we normally sleep under blankets, but sometimes we sleep in sleeping bags. I think it's 'cause they're warmer than normal ones." Dudley paused watching as Neville turned one of the sleeping bags inside out to get a better look. "I don't think that made any sense. What I meant was sleeping bags can be warmer than blankets, I think." He paused again and sat down on the end of Neville's trunk. "I think that's what I meant anyway, I'm not all that sure now. But you should be comfortable and that's the main thing."

Neville smiled uneasily; he couldn't quite work out if Dudley truly had lost his train of thought or if he was mocking him. Neville quickly decided to go for the first option, it would be wrong of him to assume that Harry's brother was the type to mock a near stranger. Thinking about it again, Neville was horrified that he would assume the worst of Harry's brother just like that. Dudley and Harry were brought up together, so surely both boys would be as polite as one another.

"Harry told me that you go to a muggle boarding school. What's it like there? What subjects do muggles learn? Do you do astronomy; I don't think you need magic for that, or Herbology?" Neville asked, sitting down next to the mattress Dudley had pointed at.

"No, we don't do anything like that. The main subjects we do are English, maths, science, history, geography, and art. There're quite a few others too, like religious studies and French." Dudley said.

"Why would you need to learn English? You already speak it?" Neville asked frowning.

"It's writing, and reading, and stuff like that, we all have to do it."

"That sounds weird; don't they teach you practical things? What about art, it sounds like they're just teaching you to draw; surely that's a waste of time?"

"I've never understood why we do art, either or Drama but that was optional, we don't have as much time for regular subjects like other schools. Normally, we just doss about, I'm quite good at art, but you don't need to concentrate much and the teacher is quite slack. A boy in my class, Bobby Jackson, put glue in her tea once, she didn't even care."

"But don't you do anything useful? How are you going to use art and English when you're older, unless you want to be the next Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Gilder- oh, never mind." Dudley began to ask before deciding not to bother. "Most schools don't, I think, but at Smeltings we do two and a half days of normal work, like English, and we spend the rest of the week doing Industrial Skills."

"What's that then?"

"I'm not all that sure what it actually means, but we do a term each year on management, and there's a class of sixth formers doing blacksmith stuff, you know like horse shoes. Horses will always need shoes and so there's less chance of redundancy. That's what the teacher says anyway, not many people do it, though. I think they did the school gates, they _are_ huge and quite impressive." Dudley again sat for a moment in thought, looking contemplatively at the floor. "I suppose we do do some practical stuff at school."

Harry and Seamus climbed the stairs, to Harry's bedroom, half an hour later to find Dudley and Neville sitting together on the floor chatting merrily, as though they'd been friends for years.

_OOOOO_

Contrary to his expectations, Harry found that he was rather disappointed when the fifth of January rolled around and Harry, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Ron and Dean had to return to school. Harry couldn't remember when he'd had more fun. Neville, Seamus, and Dudley had all gotten along like a house was on fire; in fact, Harry knew that Neville and Dudley had agreed to write to one another for the rest of the school year, and Dudley was already trying to persuade his mother to allow the two boys to come back to the terrace during the summer holidays.

On the thirty-first of December the Dursleys, Harry, Neville, and Seamus had all gone over to the Granger's house for a New Year's party. Harry was grateful for this as since meeting Hermione, he'd never gone so long without speaking to her. Although the bond had strengthened, and Harry and Hermione no longer needed to spend so much time together, Harry enjoyed her company. They could send feelings and emotions to one another through their bond, and Severus had told them that he wouldn't be surprised if eventually they'd be able to actually speak to one another almost like a mental telephone. And so it was with both excitement and disappointment that Harry returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays.

Having all arrived at the station at the same time, Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean ended up all squashed into a single compartment. Harry slid the compartment door closed behind him and turned to the other five students.

"What do you all know about Hagrid?" He asked sitting down between Ron and Neville.

"My brother Charlie told me that he's a half-giant, and the twins found out from dad that he was expelled in his third year." Ron said pulling his rat, Scabbers out of his back pocket and wincing slightly. "He just bit me for sitting on him." He shook his head in indignation and put the rat on the seat next to him.

Harry ignored the comment about the rat. "Half-giant? Hermione bought a book on magical creatures, giants are really dangerous. Should he really be allowed to live at Hogwarts?"

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "I read that they're extremely violent; and sometimes even cannibals."

"I don't think Hagrid's like that. I've spoken to him a couple of times and he seems kind of nice." Dean Thomas pursed his lips "Your book could be bias, Hermione, some wizards think badly of creatures they fear. When I was speaking to Hagrid, he talked about these invisible horse creatures called Thestrals, people can only see them when you've seen a person die, and so they're classed as dangerous."

"Yeah, well, Hagrid's well known for liking dangerous creatures. That's how my brother Charlie ended up going to Romania to chase dragons, I think they were quite good friends." Ron said frowning slightly. "Apparently, he's always wanted a dragon."

"He wants a dragon?" Seamus asked, scandalized. "Y' can't train a dragon and it takes at least a dozen wizards t' stun one."

"I don't think Dumbledore would let Hagrid on the school grounds if he was dangerous." Neville said.

"Yeah, well, Dumbledore's letting that three-headed live on the third floor." Harry said pursing his lips. "They're just as dangerous as dragons."

"There's a three-headed dog at Hogwarts?" Dean asked in horror. "Is that why we're not allowed to that part of the third floor? How do you know anyway?"

"Malfoy tried to get us caught by Filch, for being out after hours, but we hid in the forbidden area. It was that night me, Ron, Hermione, and Neville went for that wizard duel." Harry said. "Hermione spotted this trap door under the dog's feet and we're trying to work out what it could be guarding, because there's a chance that Hagrid is trying to steal it."

"Why would Hagrid want to steal whatever it is?" Dean asked, pulling a bag of muggle sweets from his coat pocket. "Want one?" He offered them around the compartment, and once every one had accepted a sweet they continued with their conversation.

"Well, it depends entirely on what it is." Hermione said. "So far all we know is that whatever the dog is guarding was in a Gringotts bank, under the name of Nicolas Flamel."

"Yeah," Harry said. "and someone tried to rob the vault it was in the day that it was emptied."

"I read about that in the Daily Prophet." Dean said. "I remember that because Ron's prefect brother was saying all about how it's almost impossible to steal from Gringotts."

"It happened on your birthday didn't it, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, but that's the thing, we were in Diagon Alley that day, and we saw Hagrid walking away from the bank, he stopped for a chat with Aunt Petunia." Harry said, leaning over to stroke Scabbers.

"So you really think that Hagrid might be tryin' t' steal whatever it is?" Seamus asked.

"Yeah." Harry said at the same time as Hermione nodded her head saying,

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" Dean asked. "What the dog is hiding, I mean."

"Not a clue." Ron shrugged. "We've been looking for Nicolas Flamel in all the books, but we're no closer to finding out who he is than we were at the start of the year; even Hermione can't find anything in the library."

"I'll help you look when we get back. Maybe we could get into the restricted section, I don't reckon it'd be that hard." Dean offered.

"Oh, it isn't." Hermione said. "The twins took us once."

Harry looked around, smirking slightly at the looks on the other boy's faces. "You look shocked."

Seamus raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Do we? I wonder why?"

Hermione looked indignant "I break school rules sometimes."

"_Sometimes_, I don't think you've had a single detention." Seamus scoffed.

"That's because _I _don't get caught. Just because you and Harry have made it your goal this year to beat the Weasley twins at losing as many house points for Gryffindor as possible, it doesn't mean the rest of us don't break rules either." Hermione said adopting her best look of disapproval as she frowned at Harry and Seamus.

"Why are y' looking at me like that? Y' just said your-self that y' break school rules." Seamus shook his head. "I bet your just as sneaky as those Slytherins, that's why y' haven't been caught isn't it?"

"There's nothing wrong with Slytherins." Hermione protested. "Just look at-"

"Malfoy? Voldemort? Snape?" Seamus raised his eyebrows. "There isn't a single good one."

"Snape's not that bad." Harry said weakly, trying to think of a believable reason for liking Severus.

Everyone in the compartment, except Hermione, stared at Harry as though he'd suddenly grown an extra head. "You yourself said that he's got it in for you." Ron said. "How could you possibly say he's not that bad?"

"Well you know… uh, Dumbledore likes him." Harry ran a hand through his hair unable to think of anything else to add.

"Yeah, but I thought we'd already established Dumbledore isn't exactly right in the head, I mean that three headed dog y' found is a prime example." Seamus pointed out.

Harry opened his mouth trying his hardest to find some way to defend his uncle and closed it again quickly, looking desperately at Hermione. Harry felt his stomach contract slightly as though Hermione had just mentally shrugged her shoulders at him.

Harry frowned and sent a feeling of irritation back at her. His stomach flipped and he somehow knew that Hermione was mentally rolling her eyes at him. "How are you doing that?" Harry asked in frustration.

"Doing what, mate?" Ron asked, looking at him in confusion. "No one's doing anything."

"Oh, uh, I thought I saw Scabbers do a backwards flip, but I think I just might have imagined it." Harry lied his eyes bulging slightly in his confusion.

"Really? I never thought Scabbers could have a hidden power or talent. I wonder if he'll do it again." Ron picked up his rat and plonked him down on his hand. "Go on Scabbers, do a flip."

Scabbers squeaked and for a second Harry actually thought the rat would do a flip for Ron. Everyone in the compartment sat on the edge of their seat holding their breath as the rat squeaked again and curled into a ball, falling asleep on Ron's hand as the six students watched in disappointment.

"Ah, well. The lunch trolley is here anyway." Ron said, sighing and shoving Scabbers back into his jacket pocket.

The six first years all stood up at once, surging forward to be the first to the trolley, the result of which was several trodden on feet and an elbow in the face for an unsuspecting Neville. Once they'd chosen their sweets and paid for them the students returned to their seats, their conversations on Hagrid and Scabbers momentarily forgotten.

The sound of six children chewing and crunching filled the compartment until Hermione broke the silence with a small gasp.

A strong feeling of mixed excitement and surprise shot through the bond and Harry turned in his seat, nearly banging heads with Dean in his haste to turn around. "What is it Hermione?"

"I-I I think I've found him, Nicolas Flamel, I think I've just found him, look." She held out a chocolate frog card.

Harry took it and looked down at it. "He has a chocolate frog card? You'd think we'd have found him by now if he's that famous, I got tonnes of chocolate frogs for Christmas."

"I _have_ read about him, though, I just forgot. He's an alchemist; we weren't looking for an alchemist we were just looking through all of the modern history books." Hermione said, shaking her head.

"But alchemy is something you can be famous for." Ron said. "Wouldn't he be in at least one of the history books?"

"He is, but not the ones we've been looking at. He was born in 1327, he'll be long dead now, we've been looking in the wrong types of books." Hermione said, Harry noticed a flash of irritation cross her face.

"So what _do _you know about him?" Ron asked.

"Well, the general consensus in the wizarding world is that he was the greatest alchemist that ever lived." Hermione said.

"Well that makes things a lot easier for us." Harry said. "We can go to the library tomorrow in history."

"We can't go during history." Hermione said aghast.

"Binns won't notice." Harry said, waving his hand airily in her direction and feeling a spike of anger through the bond from her. "I'll just tell him I've been called away to play quidditch for England or something."

When Harry, Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus finally got back to their dormitory after the train journey and feast Harry found a small wrapped package on the end of his bed.

"What's that, Harry?" Ron asked, peering around the end of his bed.

"I don't know, it doesn't have a tag." Harry said picking it up and turning it over in his hands.

"Open it, Harry." Ron said.

"Yeah, go on."

Harry wasn't sure who said that, but when he turned around he found the other four boys sitting on the edge of Neville's bed, which was directly opposite Harry's.

He picked it up and slowly pulled apart the wrapping paper, _something fluid and silvery grey_ slid from the paper and onto the floor where it lay in a small glittering heap on his bed.

There were several gasps from the boys sitting on the end of Neville's bed.

Harry ignored the gasps and picked up the letter that had fluttered onto the bed, it was written in thin loopy writing; he read it aloud so that the other four boys could hear what it said: "_Harry, your father left this in my possession before he died. __It is time it was returned to you.__ Use it well. _But what actually is it?"

"You don't know?" Neville asked in surprise.

Harry shrugged. "It looks like a cloak; it's nice nice, but even so why would someone send me it? It doesn't look like it'd be very warm."

"It's not just a cloak, mate. It's an invisibility cloak; they're really rare and valuable." Ron said in a hushed voice, a look of awe on his face.

Harry picked up the silvery cloak and weighed it in his hands. It was strange to hold, lighter than a piece of paper and very fluid, _like water woven into fabric_.

"Try it on." Dean urged, looking at the cloak in wonder. "I didn't even know there was such a thing; do you think it makes you go fully invisible?"

Harry shrugged, silently throwing the cloak around his shoulders. He looked down at his feet, seeing that they were completely gone. He gasped and ran to the mirror, looking in awe as he pulled the cloak over his head and his entire body vanished.

There was a loud bang at the dormitory door and he heard Hermione calling his name outside. "Harry? Harry, are you okay?"

Harry rushed to the door, momentarily forgetting he was wearing the cloak, and pulled it open. A frazzled looking Hermione brushed past him and looked frantically around to room, turning to the four boys on Neville's bed. "Where's Harry?"

Harry put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she wheeled around on the spot, looking straight through Harry.

Harry pulled his cloak off and grinned at Hermione. "I'm here. Look at what I found on my bed." He held the cloak out to her.

She took it, weighing it in her hand and running a hand over the soft fabric. "Is this an invisibility cloak?" She asked slowly, holding it up to the light.

"Yeah." Harry said in a hushed voice.

"How did you get it?"

"It was wrapped up on my bed."

"Do you know who sent you it?" Hermione asked folding it up and handing it back to him.

"I'm not sure." Harry handed the letter to her.

Hermione took it silently and quickly read it. "Oh, _Harry_." She pulled him into a hug and he let the cloak fall to the floor as he wrapped his arms around her middle. He wasn't entirely sure why she'd hugged him until he felt a wave of pity come through the bond from Hermione.

He was stunned for a second, and then he felt his stomach drop. _Y__our father left this in my possession before he died_; it had belonged to his dad. His throat suddenly felt dry and his eyes stung; he buried his head in Hermione's shoulder, too overwhelmed by his own and Hermione's emotions to notice the four other Gryffindor boys file past him out of the dormitory and down to the common room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Harry leaned back in his chair and put his hand in the air.

"Yes, Mr. Perkins?" Professor Binns looked down at Harry as though he'd only just noticed the students sitting in his classroom.

"I'm not feeling well, sir." Harry smiled politely, trying his hardest not to laugh at the look on Hermione's face.

"You'll have to go down to the hospital wing." Binns said mournfully, turning his back on the class and floating to the front.

Harry stood up and walked out of the classroom, cheerily waving goodbye to Hermione, and trying to ignore the anger he could feel coming from her. He waited outside the door and listened as Professor Binns resumed his lecture before pausing, and asking a Mr. Fletcher what was wrong.

Seamus and Ron appeared at the classroom door thirty seconds later, beaming from ear to ear, and the three friends set off to the library at a run, sliding down the corridor on their knees at periodic intervals.

They reached the library quickly, passing very few people on the corridor. Inside, Seamus and Harry went straight to the section of the library Hermione suggested and began pulling books of the shelf, stacking them into Seamus' arms.

"Why do I have to carry them?" Seamus complained as they made their way back to the table.

"You had to hold them at the shelves because you can't reach the upper shelves and you're carrying them now because you ran off ahead before I could even offer to take some." Harry said pulling a chair out for his friend to sit on. "There you go."

Seamus tipped the books onto the table and sat down.

Ron appeared a few seconds later panting, "Hagrid was down there." he pointed his thumb in the direction of the magical creature section of the library. "He was looking at the section on dangerous animals."

"Do you think he's trying to find out a way past the three-headed dog?" Seamus asked, looking around the library.

Ron nodded. "We _have _gotto find out what that dog is guarding."

Seamus nodded in agreement, taking a book from the top of the pile, opening it, and scanning the index before closing the book and shoving it on a chair next to him.

Harry watched him in surprise as Seamus made his way through three books in the time it took Harry and Ron to open their first. Seamus looked up over his book. "Just scan the index, Hermione's not the only Gryffindor first year that reads books."

Harry rolled his eyes and flipped to the back page of the book, scanning the page quickly before adding it to the top of Seamus's already growing pile of useless books.

After half an hour of scanning books, the boys had not found anything and so Ron suggested that they leave the library for the day and go down to the kitchens for the rest of the period.

In the kitchens the three friends found a third year Hufflepuff boy sitting at the table and reading a quidditch book. Seamus, Ron, and Harry sat at the table, accepting the drinks and cakes the house elves thrust into their hands. Harry took a bite out of the treacle tart that had been handed to him and smiled at the Hufflepuff boy.

The boy looked up from his book and smiled back, holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "Hello. Cedric Diggory."

"Harry Potter." Harry shook his hand, surprised that Cedric did not immediately look at his scar as so many people did when meeting him for the first time.

Cedric, instead, smiled and said, "Pleased to meet you." Before holding his hand out to the other two boys and introducing himself again.

"So, Potter, are you ready for your next quidditch match?" Cedric asked, grinning at the three Gryffindor boys. "You're quite the player; I was rather impressed that you managed to stay on your broom in your first match, I imagine you could out fly some of the England players."

Harry blushed. "You're a Hufflepuff right?" Cedric nodded and Harry continued. "I've never seen your team fly, although Wood's getting frantic; he says I've really got to watch out for the Hufflpuff seeker."

Seamus snorted into his tea and Harry glared at him as drops of tea ran from each of Seamus's nostrils.

Cedric just smiled politely and said conspiratorially. "To be honest, I don't fancy our chances against Gryffindor, you've got one hell of a team this year, and I bet Wood's been working you for hours on the quidditch pitch."

Harry made a non committal noise in the back of his throat. "I've only ever seen one quidditch match; I missed Hufflepuff Vs Ravenclaw because me and Seamus got detention for having a broomstick race in the entrance hall the Sunday night before the match."

"Who caught you?" Cedric asked sympathetically.

"Filch, luckily. I couldn't imagine what'd 've happened if we'd been caught by Snape." Seamus said eying a chocolate pudding hungrily.

"Ah, so you've had a run in with Snape, then?" Cedric asked, putting his book back in his bag and stirring his tea.

"You could say that. Snape's got it in for Harry, gave him his first detention, and Fred, my brother, told me that Snape said he was arrogant and thought that he was above the rules. Apparently, Snape was so angry at Harry he couldn't even think straight, only gave them one detention." Ron said, taking a big bite of a chocolate éclair and squirting cream down the front of his shirt.

"That is odd." Cedric said, frowning slightly. "I've never known Snape not to take an opportunity to deduct points from a student, especially a Gryffindor." He turned in his seat to look at Harry, his brow crinkling and his eyes narrowed. "I wonder why."

Harry gulped, feeling as though Cedric _did_ in fact know the reason why Severus had not taken points from him. "Uh, I guess he just really hates me. Maybe the sight of me makes him so angry he can't function properly."

"Hmm, that _is_ a possibility," Cedric murmured thoughtfully "unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry asked.

Cedric shook his head. "Nothing, it doesn't matter."

"No, tell me." Harry urged, leaning forward in his seat. "What were you going to say?"

Cedric looked around the kitchen and satisfied to see that Seamus and Ron were entirely focused on the beef sandwiches the elves were carrying over, he looked Harry in the eye and smiled. "I happen to know that when she was at Hogwarts, your mother, Lily Evans, was friends with Snape."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "What're you trying to say?"

"Nothing." Cedric smiled, taking a sip of his tea.

"And how would you even know who my mother was and wasn't friends with?" Harry asked angrily, glancing over at Seamus and Ron to make sure they weren't listening.

"Don't worry Potter, it isn't common knowledge, my mother was a Gryffindor, in the same year as yours. I'm not sure they were all that close; my mother mentioned once that your mother had a lot of friends in other houses. She wasn't happy about your mother and Snape though it was and still is, I suppose, rather frowned upon for a Gryffindor to be friends with a Slytherin, especially considering the time, you-know-who was gathering followers." Cedric said in a hushed voice.

"You're wrong, Snape hates me and my familiy."

"There's no way Snape would avoid punishing the Weasley twins, I had potions with them last year and almost every lesson ended with at least one of them getting a detention or losing points for Gryffindor. And if he hates you as much as you're suggesting you'd have had a lot more than one detention with him for sneaking about with a Weasley. Snape has to know you outside of school."

Deciding there was no point in lying, if Cedric's mother had been gossiping about his family then there was no way to deny it without offending Cedric, who he was apparently playing against in his next Quidditch match. "You can't tell anyone. Severus doesn't want anyone to know about his involvement with our families, it could endanger his reputation."

"Families?" Cedric asked. "And what do you mean by endangering his reputation, you're Harry Potter, surely involvement with your family would only boost his reputation."

"Hermione Granger lives next door to me. Our families have been really close ever since we were seven and my brother, Dudley, found out she was a witch."

"And Snape's reputation?" Cedric asked.

"I'm not sure I can tell you that."

"Why not?"

Harry glanced at Seamus and Ron, who were now having a heated discussion about quidditch. "It could do a lot of damage."

Cedric pointed his wand at the other two boys and muttered, "Muffliato."

"Was that a spell?"

"Yeah, it's a sort of secrecy charm; it stops people hearing the conversations of others. I'm not entirely sure that it's Ministry approved, but older Hogwarts students have been teaching it to younger ones for generations, at least they have in Hufflepuff."

"So it's illegal?"

"In a way," Cedric said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "But it's harmless really. Can you tell me anymore about why you can't have people finding out about Professor Snape's involvement with your family?"

"Why do you want to know anyway?" Harry asked, frowning at Cedric.

"I'm just interested in it, for Snape to not publicly recognize the son of his best friend and to go as far as to behave as though he despises you, well, there's got to be a pretty big reason for that."

"How can I even know I can trust you?" Harry narrowed his eyes.

"I'll vow it upon my magic." Cedric said, his eyes meeting Harry's.

"Sev told me about that, you do know you'll be reduced to little more than a Squib if you break your promise?"

Cedric smiled. "I wouldn't have offered had I not fully understood what the vow entails."

"But why are you so interested?" Harry pushed. "Why do you want to know so desperately?"

"Curiosity." Cedric shrugged. "I only offered the oath to reassure you, I wouldn't tell anyone anyway."

"Are you sure you're not a Ravenclaw? That kind of curiosity could get you killed." Harry said, thinking that if Voldemort did return, Cedric knowing about Severus really could get him killed. "I'm not going to tell you now, maybe you'll find out one day, but I don't even know you. I can't tell you anything else."

"Seems fair enough." Cedric looked at his watch. "Well, I better be off." He stood up.

"Wait!" Harry grabbed the hem of Cedric's robes to stop him walking away. "You won't tell anyone about Severus will you?"

Cedric took out his wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry slid out of his chair and under the table trying to wrestle his wand out of his pocket as he landed on the floor.

Cedric ducked under the table looking completely dumbfounded by Harry's actions. "What're you doing, Potter?"

"I thought you were about to hex me. I was getting out of the way." Harry said, still struggling to extract his wand from his robes.

Cedric chuckled and pulled Harry out from under the table. "I wasn't going to hex you."

Harry ran a hand through his hair to hide his embarrassment and asked, "What were you doing then?"

"Making a vow."

Harry pulled his wand from his robes with a shout of "Aha!" before blushing and straightening his robes. "Don't bother, if you tell anyone I'll kill you myself. I don't need a vow to do it for me."

Cedric looked at Harry for several seconds as though uncertain about whether Harry was joking. Still looking slightly unsure, Cedric lifted the 'muffliato' charm with a flick of his wand and smiled jovially at Ron and Seamus. "Well, see you later Weasley, Finnegan. Good luck catching the Snitch next month Potter, I'm not going to make it as easy for you as it was in your last match."

"Uh, bye, Diggory." Harry waved before turning to his friends and mouthing 'snitch?'

Seamus let out a snort of laughter. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what?" Harry asked, sitting on the bench next to Ron and Seamus.

"Diggory's the new Hufflepuff seeker." Ron grinned. "Apparently, he was the keeper last year, Fred said he was brilliant, but after their old seeker, Miller, left last year they haven't been able to get anyone else. He's not a bad seeker either, but not as good as you, mate. I reckon you're better than my brother Charlie, and everyone said that he could've played for England."

"No way, he's their Seeker?" Harry asked, looking at his two friends. "He's not built like a seeker. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew." Seamus said. "There's nothin' to worry about though. Diggory's Hufflepuff through and through, he wouldn't hex you like those Slytherins."

"H-hex me?" Harry asked, thinking that from what he'd seen of Cedric he seemed more Ravenclaw than anything else.

The three friends left the kitchens fifteen minutes later and made their way up the corridor and back up to the Gryffindor common room.

Seamus looked at Harry, frowning. "What did you say the name of your uncle is?"

"Uncle Vernon, why?" Harry answered.

"No, not your real uncle, and not Hermione's dad either. Your brother said you called your aunt's wizard friend your uncle, I think he said he was a close friend of your mother's." Seamus said.

"Oh, yeah him." Harry slowed his pace, his mind going blank as he tried to remember the name they'd come up with for Severus, it was his uncle's middle name, but he just couldn't remember what it was. "T-Tobias, Uncle Toby." Harry smiled to himself, pleased that he'd managed to remember.

For a second, Harry was sure that Seamus looked disappointed with what Harry had answered but when he looked up Seamus was grinning. He set off down the corridor at a run, shouting over his shoulder. "Race y' to the common room."

Harry met Ron's eyes and shrugged, Ron nodded and the two boys broke into a sprint, quickly catching up with Seamus.

_OOOOO_

The search for Flamel was put to the back of Harry's mind as the weeks after Christmas passed by. Hermione refused to talk to Harry for a whole week after Harry skipped history; apparently she'd known through the bond that Harry had not spent as much time in the library as he said he would have.

Even with Hermione talking to him again, Harry was still struggling to focus on his search for Flamel. What with quidditch practice four times a week, and the constant revision he needed to do to keep up with Hermione in class, Harry was struggling to even find enough time to sleep.

Wood was working the Gryffindor quidditch team harder than ever, he spent hours in the common room pouring over diagrams of the quidditch pitch and telling anyone who would listen to him how that if Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff they would overtake Slytherin in the championship for the first time in seven years.

It was in one of the more tiring practices that Wood gave the team the strangest news Harry had heard in a while. _He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasley twins, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms._

_"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"_

At Wood's shout George really did fall off his broom.

_"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."_

Before Wood could even answer the entire team, except Harry, had landed to complain about the unfairness of it.

_"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."_

Harry sighed and circled the pitch. He wished people wouldn't think so badly of Severus, he knew the exact reason why he was refereeing and it had nothing to do with Slytherin winning the house cup. Harry thought he'd prefer it if his uncle were offering to referee so that he could stop Gryffindor winning the house cup.

The number of times he'd had to remind Severus that he was no longer a child, and then he went and did something like this. Harry couldn't help but be annoyed at his uncle, why did he have to do this to him? Did Severus really think he needed to watch him so closely?

At the end of the practice Harry didn't bother to stop and chat with the rest of the team in the changing rooms. Instead, he shouldered his broom and headed straight for the Gryffindor common room where he found Hermione re-reading her copy of '_Hogwarts: A History'_.

Hermione closed her book and put it on the coffee table. "Practice wasn't good then?" Hermione asked, wincing at the feelings of extreme irritation that she could feel through the bond from Harry.

"It was going great until Wood told us that Uncle Sev is reffing the next match." Harry sighed, kicking his boots off and curling his feet into the chair.

"Why would he do that?" Hermione asked.

"Three guesses," Harry rolled his eyes. "He's keeping an eye on me after Hagrid tried to hex my broom in the last game."

"That's not so bad; he just wants to keep an eye on you." Hermione reasoned.

"It's terrible." Harry flung his head back against the headrest of the chair.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Harry. How do you think Aunt Petunia and Sev would feel be if you died in a quidditch match?"

"Died? Look who's being melodramatic now, there haven't been any fatalities at Hogwarts in at least a couple of centuries." Harry said sitting up and crossing his legs. "But why does he have to do it? I've told him so many times I can look after myself and he's gone and done that. Who does he think he is?"

"Who does who think he is?" Seamus asked, jumping over the back of the chair and sitting next to Hermione.

"Snape, the bias git is refereeing the next Gryffindor Quidditch match." Harry spat out, not having to feign his fury at Severus.

At that moment Neville hopped into the common room. Harry couldn't work out how he had actually managed to get through the portrait hole, never mind up the staircase to the common room. Neville's legs had been stuck together with what Harry and Hermione recognized as the leg-locker curse.

Hermione immediately leapt to her feet and performed the counter curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and Harry and Seamus jumped forward to help him to his feet. "What happened?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy." Neville said almost tearfully as Harry and Seamus led him to the sofas. "I was in the library, trying to research Flamel- he said he was looking for someone to practice it on."

"Did you find anything?" Hermione asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let him calm down, Hermione. He's just got here."

Harry handed Neville a chocolate frog from inside the pocket of his robes. "Just ignore Malfoy, we've already proved you're better than him, and Dudley proved you're a powerful wizard."

Neville smiled weakly and unwrapped the chocolate. "Thanks, Harry, do you want the card, you collect them don't you?" He then turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry; I didn't find anything on Flamel."

Hermione patted him gently on the back. "It's all right Neville; I think we might need another trip to the restricted section."

Harry looked down at the card. "Look, it's Dumbledore." He gasped and handed the card to Hermione.

Hermione took the card and frowned. "Harry, I've already seen this card, I don't need to see it again."

"No, look at the back, we've found him! Nicholas Flamel!" Harry pointed to the description on the back. "We've been looking in all of the wrong places, he's still alive. We're not looking for a long dead alchemist; we're looking for a few hundred year old alchemist!"

Hermione quickly scanned the description and Harry felt a spike of excitement through the bond from her. "He didn't." She gasped, "Of course, I should have known." Hermione jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs to her dormitory.

Harry and Neville shared a confused look and Harry said. "She obviously got more information from that card than we did. Maybe she has a secret library up there."

Seamus shrugged. "We all have secrets." His eyes briefly met Harry's and he smiled. "She'd have been a great Ravenclaw, she knows everything."

"Except who Nicholas Flamel is." Neville said.

Harry felt another spike of excitement from Hermione and he smiled, looking up at the stairs just as Hermione darted back into sight. "I wouldn't be so sure, look at her face." He pointed at Hermione who was now making her way across the common room, beaming from ear to ear.

"I knew it, look at this." She dropped a heavy book on the table with a loud, dull thud, and flicked through the pages. "I got this from the library at the start of term."

Seamus frowned. "How did you even carry it up here? It's huge!"

Hermione didn't look up until she'd found the page she was looking for. "Aha! Listen to this, 'Nicholas Flamel is the only known alchemist to have created a philosopher's stone.'" She looked up from the book beaming, unfortunately her announcement didn't have quite the effect on the boys as she'd expected.

"What's a philosopher's stone?" Seamus asked, frowning. "Sounds like he nicked it if you ask me."

Hermione glared. "Don't any of you read?" She cleared her throat and read aloud from the book. _"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal._

_There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)."_

"So that's what that dog is guarding?" Neville asked.

"What would Hagrid want with one of them?" Harry frowned, unable to think of a reason. "I don't think he's bothered about money, and if he was so bothered about immortality he wouldn't risk his life trying to get past that massive dog."

"I'm not entirely sure. After we found out about Hagrid being part giant I did a bit of research on giants, it could be something to do with his heritage." Hermione mused. "Wait here." She shot off across the room again, this time going over to where she had left her school bag.

She was back sitting next to the boys before any of them could even say anything. "Listen to this," She flicked to a page in the middle of the book. "'Due to their violent nature giants are feared by wizards. This unfair stereotype may have come about because of giants' aversion to magic. On the whole, giants do not hate wizards; they do, however, fear the magic we wield.

If a human was to enter a giant camp they would most likely be killed, however, it is possible to gain the friendship of the tribe if you first gain the trust of the Gurg (tribe leader), this can be done by offering him or her magical gifts. It is not commonly known, but giants do, in fact, take joy in magic if the caster is not seeking to use their powers against the tribe.'"

"So you think Hagrid might want to give a giant Gurg the philosopher's stone?" Harry asked, leaning over to look at Hermione's book.

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe his family is in one of the tribes."

"But you think he'd give up everything he has here to try and join a tribe of giants." Seamus asked.

"What does he actually have here? He lives on the grounds with his dog; I don't think he has any family." Hermione reasoned. "Imagine what that's like, Harry and Neville don't have their parents, but at least they have other family members, it must be terrible for Hagrid." Harry noticed Hermione looked very upset now.

"We can't let him get it." Harry protested. "In the past the giants have been allied with Voldemort, they're dark creatures, Hermione." He ignored how the other two boys flinched as he said Voldemort's name.

"They're not all dark." Hermione said weakly.

"It doesn't matter." Seamus said gently. "If _he_ comes back and the giants ally themselves with him he could live forever, imagine that, an immortal you-know-who."

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "But it's just so horrible. He must be so lonely, do you think if we made friends with him he might decide not to steal the stone?"

"Blood is thicker than water, he'd never choose us over them, giants or not they are his family." Harry said.

"It's unfair! Other than the whole trying to steal the stone thing he seems like such a nice man." Hermione looked just about ready to cry.

"Unfair things happen." Neville said quietly. "My parents didn't deserve what they got and neither did Harry's."

Hermione put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. "What Harry said isn't entirely true, Neville. You'll always have us, we're all from messed up families in some way, my parents don't have any time for me and Seamus hates his dad. Like Professor McGonagall said, our house is like our family."

Seamus smiled. "He isn't my dad, not any more. But I suppose with friends like you lot who needs parents?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Not even your mother."

"Well, not including me mam, but she's different she needs me 's much as I need her." Seamus said. "But it's same for all of us, we all need each other… maybe we should go down to see Hagrid."

Seamus, who was sitting on the arm of the sofa, leant backwards sliding off of the arm of the chair and landing across the laps of his three friends. He grinned up at Neville who smiled slightly as Harry tickled his toes.

Seamus squirmed. "Stop that, Harry!"

"Get up then." Harry tried to push Seamus off of the sofa, but only had one arm free as Hermione was leaning on his other one.

"Nah, I'm all right. It's quite comfy, but you all have quite bony knees." Seamus crossed his arms under his head and grinned. "So about Hagrid…"

"I'm not talking to you until you move." Harry tried to cross his arms, but failed miserably as he only had one free arm.

"Hermione doesn't seem to mind." Seamus pointed out.

"That's because she's fallen asleep." Neville said dryly.

"It's 'cause she's so comfortable with me around." Seamus said smugly.

"Maybe your weight made her pass out." Harry said.

Seamus kicked Harry and said. "Well, your knees are the boniest of the lot, they're all knobbly and stabby."

"Stabby?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, like a knife or your owl's beak." Seamus sighed. "Well, nice as lying on this bed of knobbly knees is, I'm off to me real bed, y' just can't beat it." He rolled off the sofa and patted Neville and Harry on the head. "Good night, if Dean and Ron get back from the kitchens before you go to bed tell them they can eat the food they said they were gonna bring me, although I doubt they remembered anyway."

Harry shook his head. "I'm tired from quidditch, I'm just gonna wake Hermione then go to bed."

Neville frowned. "What's gotten into him?"

"I don't know." Harry said gently shaking Hermione awake. "Normally he'd have stayed up chatting about Hagrid all night. He barely even reacted when I told him Snape's reffing the next Gryffindor match."

Neville stood up and stretched. "I'll go ask him if he's okay. I have a letter to write to Dudley so I've got to go up anyway."

Harry smiled gratefully and turned back to Hermione. "Hermione, I need my arm back. Wake up." He shook her gently again and she stirred, opening her eyes slowly.

"What?"

"I'm off to bed. It's getting late and I have quidditch practice again tomorrow. I need my arm back."

Hermione blushed. "I can't believe I fell asleep. I've been spending hours and hours a night revising."

"It's months until the exams, maybe you should get some sleep as well."

She nodded. "You're probably right, I'll just do another hour tonight and then I'll go to bed."

Harry rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't stay up too late, if your tiredness leaks through the bond again like it did the other week, I'll be asking Severus for a bottle of dreamless sleep potion for you. Good night, Hermione."

_OOOOO_

Harry wasn't entirely sure how he'd managed to get through his exams, what with quidditch, the constant pain in his scar he'd been feeling since after the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, and Hermione's worry and tiredness leaking through the bond to him, it was a wonder he even managed to stay awake to complete his papers.

The Philosopher's stone problem had been fixed for a short while. After Harry had beaten Diggory to the snitch in record time, Harry had asked the Weasley twins to use their map to keep an eye on the room where Fluffy was hidden. So far all they'd seen was Hagrid entering and then leaving again shortly after, and Harry thought that it would only be a matter of time until he found away to get past the dog.

Just in case the twins did miss something Harry, Hermione, and the other four first year boys had agreed that they should take it in turns to check the door on the third floor corridor at least four times a day.

After their final exam, History of Magic, Harry and Ron made their way to the third floor corridor, it was their turn to check on the dog.

Harry pressed his ear to the door and heard the dog growling quietly; satisfied, he turned around and he and Ron began walking back down the corridor only to run into Severus.

"Potter, Weasley, what are you doing here? _You better be careful, people might think you're up to something._" Severus's black eyes twinkled.

Harry flushed. "We're not up to anything. In fact, we're just on our way outside now."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "If you think for one second that I believe that, then you are sadly mistaken. I'll be watching you, Potter."

Harry smiled politely. "I feel unworthy of such attention, _Professor._"

"Just like your father, no respect for authority." Severus glared. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter." Severus turned on his heel and swept down the corridor away from the two boys, his robes flapping behind him.

Ron shook his head. "I just don't understand how you can backchat Snape like that."

"Why not? He's not that scary." Harry and Ron made their way out of the castle and onto the grounds where the other four were waiting for them.

They found Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Neville lounging on the grass underneath a large weeping willow. He dropped his bag on the grass next to the trunk and stretched out on the grass relaxing in the warm rays from the sun.

Harry looked around the grounds taking everything in. The Weasley twins were feeding orange segments to the giant squid who was basking in the shallows. Harry was pleased to see one of them, he wasn't sure which, take the marauders map from his pocket and scan the page before quickly folding it in half and cramming it back in his pocket.

Harry sighed in contentment and put his hands behind his head. "No more exams, I can't believe the year is almost over. Now all we've got to worry about is the results."

Hermione smiled, leaning against the tree trunk and twirling her wand idly in her hand. "I'm pretty sure I've beaten you this time, cat-boy."

Harry chuckled. "No chance, I bet me and Neville have you beaten in Herbology."

Ron stretched out on the grass next to Harry. "Let's just hope Crabbe and Goyle don't do well enough to get into second year."

"They won't need to do well if Malfoy's got anything to do with it. He's always bragging about how his dad's a governor." said Dean, who was sitting cross legged, eating an apple. "I bet his dad's already got all the governors paid off."

Seamus laughed lazily. "The git."

Harry rubbed his scar. "Why does it keep hurting? Has any of you come across anything about cursed scars, like mine."

"Go to the hospital wing." Dean suggested. "I bet Madam Pomfrey has a potion that could fix it right up."

Hermione sighed. "He's not ill, it's not like that."

"Yeah." Harry agreed, "It's never done this before."

Seamus sat up. "What's it feel like? The scar, I mean, does it ache or is it like when you've just cut yourself?"

"Just a prickle, you know like when you have pins and needles. It's a bit like that but in my head and kind of hurty." Harry rubbed his head again.

Seamus laughed. "Kind of hurty?"

"Don't tease me." Harry said in mock outrage. "You don't know how it feels, but if you did I'd like to hear you describe it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You've never been that good at English anyway."

The other boys laughed. "I still don't understand why muggles learn English." Neville said shaking his head in confusion. "It just sounds odd."

Dean shrugged. "I don't either, I suppose it is a bit weird isn't it, and I did some English whilst I was at school."

The six friends stayed outside in companionable silence, watching the birds and clouds drift across the sky. It wasn't until the cool, late evening breeze blew through the branches of the tree that they even thought about moving.

Dean sat up first, stretching and rubbing his eyes, Harry was almost certain that he'd fallen asleep. He checked his watch and gasped. "We've missed dinner."

Ron leapt to his feet. "You're kidding?"

Harry laughed and jumped down from the tree which he'd climbed earlier that afternoon, he pulled Hermione to her feet and pulled a leaf from his hair. "We could have a picnic in the common room; I don't think the elves will mind."

"Okay." Dean nodded in agreement. "You, Hermione, and Neville can go back to the common room to clear a space on the floor and me, Ron, and Seamus can go down to the kitchens."

"That sounds like a plan." Ron said, helping Neville to his feet. "We have still got to celebrate the end of the exams. I bet they'll give us a nice pudding too, maybe a cheesecake or sticky toffee pudding or treacle sponge." Ron licked his lips. "We should get going."

There was a loud thud and Seamus fell from the tree, landing in a heap on the ground. He rubbed his neck and jumped up. "I must've fell asleep up there. Me and Harry were just chatting about maybe climbing the mountains surrounding Hogsmede and then BAM," he clapped his hands together. "I'm in a heap on the ground with a stick stabbing into my foot."

"Well, get up, we're going to have a picnic in the common room." Ron said, offering him his hand. "We missed dinner."

"I think I'm broken, I can't possibly get up." He pretended to swoon on the grass putting a hand to his forehead. "I think I might need to be carried back up the castle."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a drama queen." He hooked his arm under Seamus's armpits and dragged him to his feet. "See, nothing broken." Harry prodded him in the head to prove his point.

"My hero, although, I didn't see it in the Daily Prophet that 'the-boy-who-lived' is also a fully qualified healer." Seamus said sarcastically.

"I've broken so many body bits I don't even need to be a healer." Harry said, following the others who had already set off back to the castle.

Seamus jogged to catch him up. "Ah well, you'll always be my hero, although I suppose you're also everyone else's hero too so it's not that much of an honour."

"Come one, we'd best catch them up. I bet Ron's frantic, we missed dinner after all." Harry grabbed Seamus by the arm, dragging him to catch up to the others.

On their way back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry, Hermione, and Neville decided to stop at one of the store cupboards to grab a Gryffindor banner to sit on for their picnic in the common room.

Back in the common room they moved some of the chairs and tables around so that they could spread their banner out on the floor and at the same time not get trampled by the other Gryffindors.

The three friends had just got comfortable on their 'picnic mat' when Fred and George hopped over one of the tables Neville had pushed to the side.

"Harry, it's happened." George said.

"What's happened?" Neville asked, looking between Harry and the twins.

"We were planning on going down to Hogsmede for some sweets-"

"And we looked at the map to see where Snape and Filch were-"

"And then we thought we'd check on that room for you-"

"It's a good thing we did too."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Is someone in there?"

"Yeah, just as we looked at the map his dot vanished from the centre of the room." Fred said. "But Harry mate you've-"

Harry didn't hear the rest; he'd already leapt to his feet and bolted towards the portrait hole, Hermione and Neville close on his heels.

Outside the portrait hole, Harry ran straight in to Ron, Seamus, and Dean. The four friends landed in a heap on the floor, narrowly missing sliding down the stairs.

"Get up." Harry said, jumping to his feet. "Hagrid's trying to steal the stone; we need to go get Dumbledore."

The six first year students set off at a run down the stairs, all of them stopping on the bottom step as Hermione reminded Harry that none of them actually knew where Dumbledore's office was. It was Ron who suggested that they go to McGonagall.

Five minutes later they slid into McGonagall's office without knocking.

"What do you think you are doing?" McGonagall asked, her lips pursed. "Get outside and knock. I thought you had better manners."

Harry blushed and looked at his toes. "Professor, it's important. We need to speak to Dumbledore."

"_Professor_ Dumbledore is away from the castle. He has just received a very urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left for London." She said tersely. "Perhaps you can tell me what is so important that all six of you forgot your manners."

"We know about the Philosophers Stone, Professor. Someone's trying to steal it." Hermione said bravely.

"I assure you, Miss Granger, no one is trying to steal it, it's too well protected. How do you even know about the stone?" She eyed Harry suspiciously. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow, you may talk to him then."

"But, Professor-" Harry began.

"I think I know what I am talking about Mr. Potter. I suggest you all go back to the Gryffindor common room, it's almost curfew." She said with a tone of finality.

Harry's heart sank as the six first years filed out of the office.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked. "Hagrid has already gone after the stone."

"We'll have to stop him ourselves." Harry said firmly.

"How do we even get past the dog?" Hermione asked. "We don't know enough magic to stop him."

"We could distract him with this." Dean said, gesturing to the mountain of food he was still holding.

"Right, you and Seamus put this on." Harry passed Dean his invisibility cloak. "Once the dog's distracted get out of there and go straight to the owlery and send as many owls as you can to Dumbledore."

"What about us?" Ron and Neville asked.

"It'll be dangerous, but you can come with me. If they're really is more than Fluffy protecting the stone I'll need your help. Hermione, go find Se- Snape and tell him what's happened."

"No, I'm going with you." Hermione said stubbornly.

"You can't it's too dangerous." Harry protested.

"I can and I will. You can't stop me, Harry."

"And if something happens to you, do you think Aunt Helen will ever forgive me?"

"I'm going, Harry, and nothing you can say will stop me." She crossed her arms and stalked away from Harry in the direction of the third floor corridor. Harry shrugged bemusedly at his friends and gestured for them to follow her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Harry pulled open the trap door and looked down into the blackness below. "On three?" He looked at Hermione who smiled back at him and nodded.

"I'll go first." Neville offered, stepping timidly over Fluffy's tail.

"No, I can't ask you to do that. It could be dangerous." Harry said. "Lumos." He lit the tip of his wand and waved cheerily to his friends. "See you down there." He placed his wand in his mouth and put his hands either side of the hole before dropping down through the hole.

He landed on something soft, wiped the lenses of his glasses and took his wand from his mouth, wiping his spit from the handle. Harry turned and looked back up to the trapdoor, which now looked to be the same size as a postage stamp. "It's all right; I landed on some sort of soft plant."

Neville dived through the hole, landing in a heap next to Harry. He looked around and gasped. "Make sure your wands are lit before you jump. A bed of Devil's Snare is breaking the fall. It's already started wrapping around my ankles, but if you light your wand it won't attack you." He called back up to Ron and Hermione.

Harry frowned; sure enough the long green tendrils of the plan had already wrapped their way around Neville's legs and were making their way up his waist, whilst Harry remained untouched. "Neville, light your wand." Harry said, crawling over to his side as Ron landed sprawled next to them.

"I can't reach my wand." Neville said through gritted teeth as the Devil's Snare tightened its grip around his waist. "When Hermione lands she can use her blue fire spell to kill it. I'll survive 'till then."

Harry looked back up to the trap door. "Hermione, hurry up. The Devil's Snare is killing Neville."

"Neville, don't struggle." Hermione called down, as she leapt through the hole.

"I'm not." Neville said as Hermione landed on Harry's right. "If I'd struggled I'd probably have been choked by now."

Hermione took her wand from her mouth and wiped it on her sleeve, waving it and muttering a spell which sent a jet of pale, bluebell into the devils snare. The thick vines cringed away from the light and warmth, shrivelling away from the four students. Neville pulled himself free of the Devil's Snare and made his way over to the wall where Hermione was now standing.

Harry felt suddenly sick as they made their way down the corridor, if the protection for the stone was anything like what they had at Gringotts then they would definitely be facing something much, much worse than Devil's Snare.

When they'd first gone to Diagon Alley, escorted by Hagrid, he had said something about dragons being used to protect high security vaults. He'd never met a dragon, but from the stories Ron had told him about his brother's adventures in Romania, he wasn't hoping to meet one either.

Harry felt a strange twinge through the bond, as though Hermione was mentally putting a comforting arm around his shoulder. He wasn't sure how she did this, but Harry smiled and sent a feeling of gratitude through the bond in her direction.

"Can you hear something?" Ron asked in little more than a whisper.

Harry cocked his head to listen and heard a soft, fluttery, clinking noise from up ahead. "What noise do dragons make? It isn't a dragon is it?"

Ron shook his head. "Dragons are noisy, and you'd be able to smell burning and cooked meat if there was a dragon down here."

"Is it a ghost?" Neville asked, slowing his pace and peering into the darkness ahead.

Hermione frowned. "It sounds more like wings… maybe they're birds."

"There's a light ahead." Ron pointed his wand. "Look, something is moving."

Harry squinted. "It looks like thousands of tiny snitches. Look, they're all glittering."

The other three nodded in agreement as they reached the end of the passageway and entered a brightly lit chamber. The ceiling arched high above them and candles hung in the air around the perimeter of the room. Thousands of what were either massive snitches or tiny glittering birds flew around the room, swooping and diving.

"What are they?" Neville asked, looking up at the ceiling in awe.

"They look like keys." Hermione said, although it sounded more like a question than an answer.

Harry glanced to the big wooden door across the room and then back up at the keys, trying to work out why they were there. "Hermione, see if you can use the 'alohomora' charm to open that big lock on the door."

Hermione scuttled across the room as the three boys kept their wand's trained on her in case any of the bird-keys decided to attack. She made it across the room unharmed, however, when she tried to open the door she couldn't, even with the 'alohomora' charm.

She dejectedly made her way back across the room to the three boys.

"Now what?" Ron asked, sighing. "How're we supposed to stop Hagrid if we can't get through the door?"

"One of these keys will probably open the door. We just have to find the right one." Hermione said watching the keys swooping overhead. "Look there's broomsticks over there."

"There's thousands, we'll never find the right one. It'll take hours." Harry sighed.

Neville nodded in agreement. "Hagrid wouldn't have been able to get through anyway, he's part giant and the broom wouldn't support his weight."

"Hagrid's the 'keeper of the keys', he probably already had a key." Ron said, making his way across to the door. "Look at the lock, I bet we just have to find the key that matches the lock."

"How're we going to do that?" Hermione asked, looking back up at the glittering keys. "Like Harry said, there are thousands, and even then, how would we catch it?"

Ron grinned. "_We_ can't catch it." He looked at Harry and his smile grew impossibly wide. "They look like snitches, don't they?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I suppose, but what if I'm not as good without my nimbus?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "You are kidding? You're the best seeker in the school; I've seen pro seekers that you could out fly."

Harry nodded. "Okay, but I'll need help; you three will have to herd the keys towards me."

Neville made a quiet whimpering noise and shook his head. "I can't go up there; I'd fall off straight away."

Harry nodded. "Right, stay over there." He pointed to the corner of the room. "If the keys decide to attack you'll be their first target so you'd best stay where they won't see you - if keys can see."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione each grabbed a broom stick and kicked off from the ground, soaring high into the air. It was whilst he was in the air, flying through a whirling mass of bird-keys that Harry realised why he was the youngest seeker in a century. Whilst Ron and Hermione were floating stationary ten feet below looking in all directions for the key, Harry was dodging and diving at the top of the room, circling from above looking for the right key.

He spotted it near the ground, fluttering just under Hermione's left elbow, it was bigger than the others with a bent wing and rusted handle. Through the bond he sent a warning, letting her know that she should move, before diving towards the ground. The key seemed to know Harry was coming for it; it turned and sped towards the wall before quickly changing direction and rocketing upwards. Harry stayed on its tail inching closer to it with every passing second.

The key turned again, plummeting towards the ground. Harry caught it in his left hand just as he collided with Ron, who had been trying to get out of Harry's way, but hadn't been quick enough. The two boys dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Hermione and Neville made towards them, Hermione slowly and carefully inching her way back down to solid ground.

Harry stood up, grabbing Ron by the arm and helping him to his feet. "Sorry, mate, I didn't see you there." He said as Ron brushed dust from his robes. "I was too busy concentrating on the key."

Hermione rushed over, fussing over the two boys and asking them if they were alright. Ron and Harry nodded their heads.

"We're fine, Hermione." Harry said, handing her the key.

"Oh, Harry, look, you hurt its wing." She took the key from him and tried to straighten its bent wing.

"I didn't do that!" Harry protested. "It was already like that."

"How else could it have happened?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe when Hagrid caught it?" Harry shrugged.

Hermione shook her head. "We've already agreed that Hagrid wouldn't have caught the key, he wouldn't have been able to use a broom."

"Maybe it isn't Hagrid after all." Neville suggested as they made their way over to the door, Hermione inserted the key and pushed the door open.

Harry whirled around to face Neville before they stepped across the threshold. "It has to be Hagrid, who else could it be?"

Neville shrugged, but Ron answered for him. "Snape, he sneaks about the castle like an oversized bat, and I've seen him on this corridor several times."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and immediately shook their heads. "No, it can't be Snape. He wouldn't try to steal the stone; he's too loyal to Dumbledore."

"Why are you defending him? He hates you, and apparently he's big on all that dark arts stuff, too." Ron turned to look at Harry, glaring at him in irritation.

"Yeah, but your brothers said it was Hagrid." Harry said with an air of finality. "It can't be Se- Snape."

Hermione shook her head in disagreement; Harry narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but she held up her hand. "I'm not saying it was Snape, but Fred and George didn't actually tell us who had gone into the chamber."

Harry crossed his arms. "Well, it wasn't Snape." He stepped into the next chamber which immediately flooded with light illuminating rows of giant black marble statues.

Ron gasped. "It's a giant chess set."

"What do we do?" Harry asked in a whisper which carried across the hall, echoing from the cavernous ceiling.

"We'll have to play our way across." Ron said, pointing to a door behind the giant white chess figures at the opposite side of the room.

Neville sighed. "I don't know if that's good or bad, you're the best chess player in school but the rest of us are terrible."

"Ah, we'll be all right." Ron said, waving a hand airily and walking over to one of the black players. "Do we… uh, have to become chessmen to get across?"

The black chessman nodded and Ron turned to the others. "Okay, Harry, take the place of the king, you won't get taken there and we need you most."

Harry shook his head. "No, let Hermione be the king. I can't let her get hurt."

Ron sighed. "Fine, Harry, you can be that bishop, and, Neville, that castle over there."

"What about you?" Hermione asked.

"I'll be a knight." Ron said, stepping forward proudly and taking the place of the black knight which, along with the king, bishop, and castle had stepped off of the board.

Harry stepped into place and as the game began he felt a sudden jolt of fear. What if they lost? Hermione would only be safe as long as they won; if they lost then she was the only one that would definitely be hurt. He felt a wave of anger through the bond and turned to look at Hermione who was glaring at him as though she'd known what he was thinking.

"_What?_" He mouthed across the board to her as the other black knight was taken.

She glared again and mouthed, "_Worry about yourself!" _back to him.

"Neville, take that bishop." Ron said pointing across the board, looking slightly shaken.

Ron darted around the board taking a white player for every black player that they took. Sometimes he only just noticed when Harry and Neville were in danger of being taken.

_"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…"_

_The white queen turned her blank face toward him._

_"Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way… I've got to be taken."_

"No!" The other three shouted in unison.

"I've got to." Ron said, avoiding the others' gazes. "In chess you've got to make sacrifices." He turned and looked Harry in the eye. "If I get taken, it leaves you to check mate their king, Hermione will be out of harm's way because there's no way we can't win."

Harry felt his shoulders droop. He didn't want to sacrifice Ron, but at the same time every part of his brain was screaming at him to keep Hermione safe. "_Fine._" Harry said, hating himself for agreeing to it.

Ron smiled. "I'd have done the same thing if it was Ginny." He said in a whisper, and Harry suddenly felt that he and Ron had gained a greater understanding of one another. Harry nodded once, ignoring Hermione's glare. Ron stepped forward and the queen stepped forward to meet him, striking him around the head with her stone arm.

Hermione and Neville screamed, Neville almost taking a step off of his square.

"Neville, stay there, we're still playing." Harry said.

_Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left._

_The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. _

Neville ran forward to Ron's side, grabbing his arm and feeling for a pulse. "He's all right, just knocked out." He turned to Ron and Hermione. "Go through to the next chamber, I'll try and wake Ron up, and then we'll go get Snape and send him down here, you seem to trust him."

Harry nodded before grabbing Hermione by the arm and charging through the next door. "Do you think there will be anything next?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "It looks like the teachers have all done enchantments. Flitwick would have been the keys, McGonagall the chess set, and Sprout the Devil's Snare. Those are the core subject professors, which leaves Quirrell and Severus, and maybe Dumbledore."

Harry nodded, smiling weakly. "Nothing too dangerous then?"

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand reassuringly and stepped up to the next door. "You really don't need to be so protective, Harry, we're bound together and even if we didn't have the bond I would be sticking by your side."

Harry said nothing as he pushed open the next door and pulled Hermione to his side, stepping through into the next chamber. They both immediately dropped one another's hands to cover their noses as a horrible smell assailed their nostrils.

Harry's eyes watered as he and Hermione scuttled around the fully grown mountain troll which was knocked out in the centre of the room. They ran through the next door without even pausing to contemplate what may be coming next.

There was nothing frightening in the next room, just a table on which there was a piece of parchment and seven different bottles lined up neatly. "It's Severus's." Harry said, turning to look at Hermione who was staring at a wall of purple flame. "Don't worry," He placed a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "Severus wouldn't make it so no one can get out."

Hermione looked as though she didn't quite believe him as she stepped forward, seizing the roll of parchment and reading it aloud to Harry:

"_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."_

Harry rolled his eyes, smiling. "A riddle, we should've known."

Hermione grinned. "Not many wizards are good at logic puzzles you know, this is brilliant; although I bet Severus didn't anticipate us coming face to face with his puzzle. If he had I'm sure he would've made it more difficult."

"I'll shut up and let you work it out." Harry said as Hermione paced the length of the table, reading and re-reading the sheet of parchment.

"Aha!" She said rolling up the parchment and setting it back down on the table. "I've got it. This one," she held up the smallest bottle. "will lead us through the black flames on the next door."

Harry took it from her and uncorked it, peering into the bottle. "There's barely enough for one person, never mind two."

"Don't worry, have a small sip, I don't think we need to drink too much to get through."

"Right, well I'll see you on the other side then." Harry smiled and held the bottle up in a silent toast before taking a small mouthful and handing the bottle to Hermione.

Harry turned and darted through the flames, not looking back as Hermione copied his gesture and swallowed the rest of the potion.

Harry stopped dead as he entered the final chamber and Hermione ran straight into his back causing both of them to tumble forward and onto the floor. Harry leapt to his feet, pulling Hermione up with him, and turned to the man.

"You?" Harry gasped.

Quirrell smiled pleasantly and turned away from the mirror he was examining. "Yes, me." He said calmly. "I can't say I was expecting you to bring your mudblood friend."

"But I thought - Hagrid?" Harry said, ignoring the slur against Hermione.

Quirrell laughed. "Hagrid? You're even stupider than I guessed, Potter. I, at least, thought you'd suspect Severus, the way he swoops around and pokes his overly large nose in other people's business."

"Severus?" Harry asked, shocked.

"He means Professor Snape." Hermione said as though Harry had been confused rather than shocked.

"Ah… right." Harry said nodding his head. "But Hagrid kept visiting that dog; he was trying to find a way past him."

"No, no, no, that monster belongs to Hagrid, he was feeding it. Although, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here now, after all he did tell me all about how to get past that Cerberus, all for a barrel of mead and a dragon egg."

"He tried to kill Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

Quirrell glanced at Hermione with a look of undisguised contempt on his face, and turned to Harry, ignoring her completely. "Tell me, Potter, did you really believe you could stop me? You, a half-blood child and your mudblood sidekick, what hope did you have? Surely you knew you'd be leading your friend to her death, after all, I have no choice but to kill you both now."

Quirrell snapped his fingers together and several ropes, as thick as Harry's arm, appeared in midair, coiling themselves around Harry and Hermione so tightly that they could barely move.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured turning back to the mirror and tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…"

Harry couldn't think of anything else to do but keep Quirrell talking until Neville came back with Severus. "That mirror? How could a mirror hide the Philosopher's Stone?"

Quirrell turned back to Harry, the corner of his lips twitching in a slight smile. "It is quite evident you are muggle raised, Potter, so I will humour you. This is not just a mirror," he paused and cocked his head to the side, smiling slightly and nodding his head. "Yes… _yes_," he snapped his fingers again and the ropes binding Harry and Hermione dropped to the floor. "Come here, Potter, take a look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "No, why should I?" He grabbed Hermione's hand and took a step backwards, pulling her behind him in case Quirrell should attack.

"Potter, don't dare disobey me now."

"What'll you do? Give me detention?" Harry goaded, taking another step back. "You won't be a professor anymore when Dumbledore hears about this. _You_ can't make me do anything."

Quirrell's smile faltered as he took a step forward. "I could make you do anything, Potter, be it stepping in front of this mirror or murdering that muggle hanging from your arm."

Harry took another step back, trying to get close enough to push Hermione back into the other chamber and out of harm's way. Harry didn't know what to do, he had two choices: keep Hermione safe or stop Quirrell stealing the stone. There was no way he'd be able to do both.

Harry took a small step forward. "Why're you doing this? Why do you want the Philosopher's Stone? Do you know that Nicolas Flamel will die if you steal it?"

Quirrell paled. "The stone is not for me, I am doing this on behalf of my ma-master." Quirrell stuttered on the final part and Harry was sure that for once his stuttering wasn't faked.

"Who's your master?" Harry asked, stepping to the side to keep Hermione out of Quirrell's sight.

"My master is the most powerful wizard since Merlin." Quirrell faltered and cocked his head to the side. "My m-master is _more_ powerful than Merlin; the only wizard who could ever have come close to defeating my master is his ancestor, the great Salazar Slytherin."

"Slytherin? What's your master's name?" Harry asked. "Why does he want the stone? Why can't he get it himself? If he's such a brilliant wizard, he wouldn't send his minions to do his dirty work."

Quirrell glared at Harry. "You ask far too many questions for your own good. My master is a great wizard and he _has_ come for the stone himself."

"Your master is here?" Harry asked in horror, looking around the room and almost stepping away from Hermione to look behind the mirror. "Where?"

"You'll not find him there, Potter." Quirrell flicked his wrist in Harry's direction and the thick ropes appeared again, this time only coiling around Hermione. "Look in the mirror, Potter, or else I'll tighten to ropes on the mudblood and strangle her to death."

Harry looked frantically from Quirrell to Hermione and back again, realizing that the only way he could keep Hermione safe now was to do everything Quirrell asked. "Please don't hurt Hermione." Harry stepped away from Hermione and walked slowly over to where Quirrell was standing, sending the most calming thoughts he could muster through the bond back to Hermione.

Harry closed his eyes and took a step up to the mirror and opened them again. At first, all he saw was his own reflection, a lonely, pale, and frightened looking child, and then it flickered. Harry was still looking at his reflection, but now he didn't look as frightened and he wasn't lonely. Hermione was no longer tied up, instead she standing next to him, holding his hand. The reflection flickered again and Harry's family stepped up behind him, Dudley, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Uncle Severus, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Dave. A man and a woman stepped up behind Harry and Hermione, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

Harry recognized them instantly, even though he'd not seen them for ten years. "_Mum? Dad?" _he asked in a whisper, wiping his eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. His parents smiled, taking a small step to the side as Harry's dorm mates came into view, laughing and joking as they approached Harry and Hermione and put their arms around their shoulders.

Harry smiled to himself, his heart soaring with joy at the sight in the mirror.

"What do you see?" Quirrell asked impatiently.

"My family and friends." Harry said quietly. "Everyone's safe and happy."

Quirrell cursed and pushed Harry out of the way. "Master!" He called out in despair. "What do I do?"

"_Let me speak to him._" A cold, high disembodied voice hissed.

"But you do not have the strength." Quirrell called into thin air.

Harry took a step away from Quirrell, quickly backing over to where Hermione was struggling with the ropes which were slowly tightening. "Hermione!" Harry whispered, feeling sick as one of the ropes cut into her skin, drawing blood. "Hermione, I can't stop these ropes tightening."

Harry pulled at the ropes, his hands sticky with her blood as he pushed them between the ropes and her body. "I can't do anything else." Harry moaned in anguish.

"Stop Quirrell." Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"I can't leave you here!" Harry said.

"I'll be fine."

"No, you won't." Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione, still trying to loosen the ropes. "I can feel through the bond, you're in pain and you're frightened, the ropes are hurting you and there's nothing I can do."

"Potter!" Harry looked up to see Quirrell unwinding his turban, which fell to the floor with a soft flump. Harry's first thought was that the Weasley twins were wrong about the garlic and then Quirrell turned around.

Harry pulled Hermione's head into his chest, to shield her from the face on the back of Quirrell's head. The other's face had red snake-like eyes and thin slits for nostrils. "Harry Potter… see what you have done to me?" It asked in a voice barely more than a hiss.

"You're Voldemort?" Harry asked incredulously.

"You dare speak my name… give me the stone, Potter."

"Let Hermione go first." Harry looked down at Hermione who was struggling to breathe. "She can't breathe, please use a severing charm to cut her free. I won't do anything if you let her be choked to death."

Voldemort smiled, his red eyes sparking, and pointed Quirrell's wand at Hermione's throat. "Of course, Potter. We wouldn't want your mudblood pet to be strangled."

Harry realized what Voldemort was planning to do only a second before he acted. Harry couldn't think of anything to do but use his own body as a shield to protect Hermione's bare throat from the hex. A bright light shot from the end of Quirrell's wand, slicing Harry's forearm wide open. "You tried to kill her." Harry gasped in horror.

Voldemort laughed dryly. "Yes, I tried to kill the mudblood, what more is she good for?" He looked away from Harry. "Quirrell, get Potter away from the muggle."

Quirrell nodded, which, with Voldemort facing Harry, looked like Voldemort was looking up at the ceiling and then back down at Harry. "Yes, my lord."

Quirrell took a step forward and reached out to pry Harry and Hermione apart. Harry saw Quirrell out of the corner of his eye and turned to slap his hand away. "Stay away from her." He growled, glaring at Quirrell.

Quirrell stopped dead when Harry's hand connected with him. His face paled and his body went rigid. A large red welt rose on Quirrell's hand and he screamed in agony. He launched himself at Harry and wrapped both of his arms tightly around Harry's neck.

Harry shouted out in pain, his scar was burning. He'd never been in so much pain, if felt as though someone had thrust a white hot poker into his face. Harry tried to pull Quirrell's hands from his neck. He was in so much pain he barely even noticed that Quirrell's blistered skin had peeled away from his arms. The throbbing in his head seemed to intensify and black blurs began building in the corner of his eyes, the darkness closed in on Harry and with it came silence and a feeling of complete tranquillity.

_OOOOO_

Something flickered in front of Harry's eyes and he reached out with his arm to push Quirrell away again. "Get off, get off." Harry couldn't reach Quirrell's face, if he wasn't touching Quirrell then Quirrell wasn't distracted. Harry sat up, looking around for Hermione. "Get away from her!" He blinked and the world came into focus.

Harry blushed, realizing that he was glaring into the face of Professor Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon, Harry." Dumbledore said, smiling.

Harry stared at him in confusion. "Uh… hi, Professor?" Then he remembered. "Professor! Hermione! Voldemort – Quirrell. The stone – Professor, it isn't safe!"

Dumbledore placed a calming hand on Harry's shoulder. "Calm yourself, Harry. Hermione is quite well; she's asleep in the next bed." Harry looked to the other side and was relieved to see Hermione sleeping peacefully under the clean white linen sheets of the next bed.

"And the stone – Professor, I tried to stop him, I did, but Hermione was in danger, I couldn't leave her."

Dumbledore pushed Harry back against his pillow, with surprising strength for such an old man. "Relax, dear boy. The stone is safe and Professor Quirrell, unfortunately, did not survive the fight."

"What happened?" Harry asked. "They wanted me to look in the mirror, and then Quirrell- Quirrell tried to kill Hermione, when I touched him his skin began burning."

"Ah, the mirror, I notice you did not retrieve the stone from it. May I ask what you did see?"

"Get the stone from the mirror, what do you mean?"

"All in good time, dear boy, I'll answer all of your questions. I just need to know what you saw." Dumbledore said, looking almost worried.

"It's not a normal mirror, Professor. I saw me - my reflection and then it changed, I was with Hermione and she was all right, and then my family was there and all my friends, I saw my parents, Professor."

Dumbledore's eye's twinkled and a tear rolled down his cheek. "That mirror, Harry, is called the Mirror of Erised; it shows only the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. I assume when you first entered the chamber you wished only to stop Professor Quirrell from retrieving the stone."

Harry blushed and said evasively. "Yeah, I didn't want the stone to be stolen."

Dumbledore nodded. "And when Hermione's life was endangered, all thoughts of the stone were pushed from your mind?"

"Sort of, I wanted to do both, stop Quirrell and save Hermione, but what I wanted more than anything else was for Hermione and everyone else to be safe."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well then, I am very proud of you indeed. What you did was very noble, your family will be proud."

"What happened, though?" Harry asked. "How's the others, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean? How did Quirrell die, what actually happened?"

"Your friends are fine, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly. "Although Severus was rather frantic when he first learnt you'd gone through the trapdoor, I had to lock him in his chamber." Dumbledore noticed Harry looking around and smiled, leaning to the side and letting Harry see his snoring Uncle laid asleep across three chairs. "He's been up all night and day waiting for you to wake; I suggest you let him sleep. I don't imagine he'll get a chance when your aunt and uncle arrive."

"What? Why're they coming? Aunt Tuney's going to kill me."

Dumbledore smiled. "It's school policy, Harry. You've been seriously injured and your family have the right to visit you." Harry groaned aloud and Dumbledore smiled again. "And now, to answer your earlier question. When you were one, Voldemort visited your parent's home in Godric's Hollow with the intention of killing you. I'm not entirely sure what happened, although, I do know that your mother sacrificed herself to save you. Voldemort wanted you dead, your mother stood in front of your crib and pleaded for Voldemort to let you live, she offered her life in return for yours. Voldemort killed her regardless, and then turned his wand on you. Your mother's sacrifice protected you, which is the reason Professor Quirrell could not touch you in the chamber."

Harry wiped his eyes on his bed sheets.

"Voldemort does not understand the concept of love. It was your mother's love for you that protected you from Voldemort's curse. Such love leaves a lasting mark; her protection will be with you, Harry, until the day you die. Professor Quirrell quite literally disintegrated at your touch. For him, a soul so dark and full of hatred, to touch you, so pure and full of love, was pure agony. These effects were intensified by your love for Hermione; the scar on your arm is a mark of how you sacrificed your blood for the life of someone you love."

Harry looked down at his arm where Voldemort's cutting curse had hit him, a jagged scar stretched from his elbow to wrist. "Why- why did Voldemort want to kill me?" Harry asked wiping his face on the back of his arm.

"Ah, this is something I didn't intend on telling you until you were at least in your third or fourth year; however, your uncle has insisted that you are told. After all you have done, he feels you have earned the right to be told, and, although, I do not entirely agree, he does have a point. But now, Harry, you must rest, I will arrange for you and Hermione to come to my office in a few days when you are fully rested."

"Can I bring my friends? They're involved in all this now, they helped me in the chamber and I don't want to keep secrets from them."

"You've told them about your bond?"

Harry blushed. "No, I haven't but that's different. Please, Professor."

"You and Hermione may each bring a friend; I assume you will tell the other two as soon as you have been told anyway."

"Thanks, Professor." Harry said, not quite able to smile after what had happened.

**AN: Thanks to all who read the story and have reviewed or added me to favourites/ alerts. And big thanks to my amazing beta Bitch Goddess**

**Warning, slash, character death and violence in later chapters.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Seamus watched as, one by one, his friends dropped down through the trap door. He'd heard Harry shout something about Neville being killed just before Hermione climbed down. Seamus hadn't even realized that he'd stepped out from under the cloak and made his way across the room to the trapdoor until he felt Dean's hand on his shoulder.

He turned to see Dean lift up the hem of the cloak so that he could duck back under. "Come on, mate. They need us up here, to warn Dumbledore."

Seamus nodded silently and pulled the cloak back over himself so that they could sneak from the chamber without the three headed dog noticing them. They made their way to the owlery, stopping once as they passed an empty charms classroom so that they could duck in and grab a handful of parchment and quills.

When they reached the owlery doors they pulled the rolls of parchment from their pockets and sat down on the floor to write the same message over and over again,

'_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Harry has gone to stop stone being stolen,_

_Come back quick!'_

Once the first letter had been written Seamus darted into the owlery to attach it to Hedwig's leg. He then returned to collect the next one that Dean had written so that it could be attached to the leg of one of the Hogwarts owls. They continued sending the same note, tied to the legs of various school post owls until all of the parchment was gone. Seamus looked out of the window and, wiping sweat from his forehead, watched as the huge black flock of owls disappeared into the darkness.

He sighed and turned to Dean who was rubbing a spot of black ink on his cheek. "What do we do now?"

Dean shrugged. "I dunno." He rested his head against the wall of the window and looked out over the black lake. "_Oh, god._" He turned to Seamus. "Look." He pointed out of the window, into the grounds.

"What?" Seamus peered around Dean's arm. "Ah, s_hit_!" His eyes widened in horror as he watched Hagrid, standing out in front of his hut, pouring water on his burning roof.

"What do we do? Should we help him?" Dean asked.

"We'll send an anonymous note to McGonagall, she'll stop it. We need to find out who's trying to steal the stone."

Dean nodded, looking around for something to write on. "We don't have any parchment left."

"Here, use this." Seamus stabbed his sleeve with a quill and pulled at it, ripping his shirt and handing the small piece of fabric to Dean.

Dean looked stunned for a second before accepting the fabric and resting against the wall to write the note. "Use your left hand!" Seamus said quickly before he could start writing. "She'll recognize your writing if you don't."

Dean nodded and began to write the note,

'_Hagrid's hut is on fire,_

_Send help quickly!'_

Once they'd sent the final note, Seamus and Dean threw Harry's cloak back over them and sprinted from the room before coming to an abrupt halt a short distance down the corridor. "Where should we go now?" Seamus asked.

"Uh… Snape, Ron said he thought it could be him, we'll check that he's in his quarters." Dean said. "Come on, there's a short cut to the dungeons behind that portrait of those fighting fairies, just down the corridor."

Seamus chewed his lower lip uncertainly. "All right, it's worth a look, come on, then." They began running again, stopping when they reached the dungeons. "Where does Snape actually live?"

Dean shrugged. "We should check his office."

Seamus nodded once again and the two boys pulled the cloak tighter around themselves and knocked on the door to potions master's office, there was no answer. Seamus looked at Dean who shrugged again.

He rolled his eyes and fished his wand out from the pocket of his robes. "_Alohomora." _ The door clicked and Seamus pushed it open slowly, wondering why Snape hadn't put more protective charms on his office door.

They looked around the room, both relieved and troubled to see that there was no one in the room. Seamus pulled Harry's cloak from them and folded it up, sliding it into his pocket. There was a loud noise, like a slamming door, which echoed around the dungeon room. Seamus jumped and turned on the spot. "It sounded like it came from behind that wall." He pointed to one of the far walls where jars upon jars of pickled potions ingredients were vibrating, the sickly green objects inside bouncing up and down.

There was another loud noise, this time a muffled bang, the sound of a fist connecting with one foot of solid stone and a roar of anguish. "_Albus!_" Snape's voice echoed through the dungeon room.

Dean and Seamus flinched and looked around the room as Snape shouted an incomprehensible string of swear words and curses. In any other situation Seamus would have laughed, but he was far too worried about his friends to find any humour in Snape's behaviour.

"Professor?" Seamus called back, banging on the wall and knocking a jar of what looked like purple intestines from the shelf. "Ah, shit. Professor Snape! _Snape_?"

The banging stopped. "_Finnegan_? Finnegan what do you think you're doing in my office?" Snape sounded both incredulous and angry.

"We just wanted to check you were in here." Seamus said, backing away from the wall as though it were a wild animal.

There were footsteps behind the wall and Snape's voice came from behind the row of shelves. "And why, may I ask, are you checking up on me?"

"Uh… no reason, Professor, I'll just be off back to Gryffindor tower should I? It _is_ after curfew, no need to mention this to McGonagall, eh?" Seamus said.

Snape sounded like he was growling. "Finnegan, come back to the wall and tell me what Harry's up to, or I'll be taking a hundred points from Gryffindor and handing you over to _Professor _McGonagall to be punished for breaking into a teacher's office." Even from behind the wall Snape sounded menacing, whilst at the same time he seemed to be enjoying threatening the first year. Seamus couldn't help but take another step back.

"Harry?" Seamus asked.

"_Yes, Potter_." Snape sounded even angrier. "I know you know about that dog of Hagrid's. Now tell me, has he gone through the trap door?"

Seamus couldn't help but feel guilty at how worried Snape sounded. "Uh, yeah he has. He wanted to stop Hagrid, but then when we went to send an owl to Dumbledore at the Ministry he was out on the grounds trying to stop his hut being on fire, and Ron thought you were the one after the stone so we came to check."

Snape cursed. "_Professor _Dumbledore arrived back not ten minutes ago. Finnegan, let me out, and don't you dare tell anyone how to get into my quarters, or else you'll be in detention until you leave Hogwarts."

"Right, how _do_ you get into your quarters?" He turned to Dean and threw the cloak to him, mouthing '_hide'. _

Dean nodded and ducked under the cloak just as Snape cursed again and said, in a very low, angry voice, "Tap your wand on the lid of the jar of Horklump tentacles."

"Horklump?" Seamus asked; Snape cursed again.

"Mr. Finnegan, do you ever listen in my class?" Snape asked angrily. Seamus rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, if anyone were to walk into the room all they'd see was Seamus arguing with a shelf of potions. He chuckled quietly before realizing the problems he faced were in no way amusing. "I taught you about the properties of Horklump tentacles before Christmas; it is with much anticipation that I await the day when I do not have to have you in my classroom. Twenty points from Gryffindor for your ignorance. A Horklump, Mr. Finnegan, is a magical creature which greatly resembles a mushroom, when used as a potions ingredient their tentacles-"

"As interested as I am in your 'oreklumps, you're not going to get out of your rooms if you don't just tell me which one to tap. How did you get locked in there anyway?"

From his tone, Seamus was quite sure that Snape was glaring at him through the wall. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Finnegan, for interrupting, and another ten for asking stupid questions. Now if you are quite finished losing points for Gryffindor, tap the lid of the top right hand jar."

Seamus followed Snape's orders without even complaining about the injustice of having so many points taken from Gryffindor over nothing. The rack of shelves slid to the side and Snape stepped out from the opening. Seamus couldn't help but flinch at the sight of the potions master. On a normal day Snape looked menacing, but tonight, Seamus couldn't even find a word to explain how scary Snape looked. His black eyes were narrowed into slits and his nostrils were flared. His normally pale face was drained of what colour he had left, he was clenching his jaw, and holding onto his wand so tightly that Seamus was sure that his nails must have drawn blood from his palm.

Seamus felt himself visibly shrink before the potion master's glare.

"It may be prudent, Mr. Finnegan, for you return to your dormitory." He talked in a clipped manner, and Seamus could see that he was barely concealing his anger.

Seamus just nodded his head, too afraid of what would happen if he dared to argue with the potions master whilst he was so angry.

"Harry will be all right, Professor, Hermione's with him and she won't let anything happen to him." Seamus said it more to convince himself that anything else. He rubbed the back of his neck, desperately hoping that what he said was true. Snape's face softened momentarily and he nodded before turning and sweeping from his office, his robes billowing wildly behind him.

Dean's head appeared around the corner of the door. "Good god, he looked scary when you opened the door. Do you think he's gone after Harry?"

Seamus nodded as he ducked back under the cloak. "Yeah, I think Dumbledore has already gone after them. Come on, we'll have to follow him."

Dean looked uncertain but Seamus didn't stop to listen to his protests as he dragged Dean along to the third floor corridor. Halfway to the corridor they ran into Snape, Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione. Dumbledore was chastising Snape for following him whilst carrying a heavily bleeding Hermione in his arms and levitating Harry behind him. Seamus and Dean stood for a moment in shock before turning and hurrying after the two professors.

Seamus reached out from under the cloak and took Harry's arm, holding it up as they walked and feeling for a pulse. He looked over to Dean and whispered, "He's alive."

Dean sighed in relief and looked around. "Where're the others?" He whispered under his breath.

Seamus shrugged. "Maybe Harry sent them back to the common room?" He asked hopefully.

Dean frowned and fell silent as they neared the entrance to the hospital wing. They followed the quartet through the door and moved into a corner where they were out of the way. Seamus watched as Dumbledore lowered Hermione onto one of the white hospital beds, with surprising strength for such an old man. Snape lifted Harry up from where he was floating under Dumbledore's levitation charm and pulled back the covers on the bed next to Hermione's before tucking him in with such tenderness that Seamus had to blink twice before he believed what he was seeing.

Once Harry was tucked into his bed, Seamus tapped Dean on the shoulder and gestured for them to go over to his bed. Dean shook his head and pointed in the direction he had been looking in.

"What?" Seamus asked in a whisper.

"Madam Pomfrey just came out from behind that curtain, there's a Weasley in there; I saw his hair." Dean whispered.

"Ron?" Seamus asked and Dean nodded.

They made their way over to the curtain surrounding a hospital bed and ducked behind it. They found Ron snoring in the bed, and Neville sitting on a stool. "What happened down there?" Seamus asked, pulling the cloak off of himself and Dean.

Neville gasped, holding his hand to his chest. "Merlin! Don't do that Seamus, you scared me half to death."

"Sorry, mate," Seamus patted him comfortingly on the arm and took a seat at the end of Ron's bed. "What happened? We just saw Dumbledore and Snape bring Harry and Hermione in. Who was after the stone?"

"It wasn't Hagrid?" Neville gasped.

Seamus shook his head and Neville began his story. "There were loads of challenges and tasks. Everything was going all right until we got to a giant chess set and Ron sacrificed himself so that we could win the game."

"What do you mean 'sacrificed'?" Dean looked horrified.

"We were playing the game, Ron let himself get taken." Neville looked over at his friend with an expression close to awe on his face. "I managed to bring him around and get him back up here, but Madam Pomfrey gave him some dreamless sleep potion so that she could fix his skull where the Queen hit him."

"It was wizard's chess?" Seamus asked, feeling slightly sick. "The bloody idiot."

"He did it so Harry and Hermione could go to the next challenge." Neville said tiredly in defence of Ron. "Do you know what happened to the stone?"

Seamus shook his head. "I'll go see if I can find anything out from what Snape and Dumbledore are saying. Dean, do you want to stay here with Neville? I'll take the cloak."

Dean nodded and Seamus slipped back under the cloak and through the curtain, out into the main ward. Snape, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey were standing next to Harry and Hermione's beds which had been pushed together. "-just for tonight, Albus, it will speed up the healing process. I can't do anything for the scarring on Miss Granger's body."

Dumbledore nodded and said. "Perhaps we should contact the families of the students involved in the incident, I'm sure Augusta Longbottom will want to congratulate young Neville, and Molly Weasley will want to know that her son is okay."

Snape looked at Dumbledore and nodded. "Would you mind informing Petunia, Vernon, Helen, and David? I can't leave Harry and Hermione now, and I'm not sure Petunia would want to speak to me anyway, she'll never forgive me."

Dumbledore patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "It isn't your fault, Severus; if anything, I am to be blamed. You told me how curious the boy was, and I didn't believe he would even find out about Fluffy."

"He told me he'd found that dog and I told him to stay away, that only made it worse. I should've known Harry would ignore me." Snape rubbed his forehead. "I promised Petunia I'd watch them, Albus! I've endangered the lives of everyone I love and care about." Snape looked distraught, and, for a strange second, Seamus felt compelled to reach out a hand to comfort the potions master.

Seamus chewed his lip and sat on a free chair next to Hermione's bed, taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. He ignored the adults speaking as he watched Harry and Hermione's chests rise and fall in unison.

Dumbledore's sparkling eyes briefly met Seamus's as he guided Madam Pomfrey into her office. It was only as the door shut quietly behind the Headmaster and the Matron that Seamus realized that Dumbledore had seen him. He looked over the Snape, to see if he could also see him, but the potion's master had his forehead resting in his left hand as he gripped onto Harry's hand with the other. Seamus frowned and pulled Harry's cloak tighter around his body, making sure that there weren't any gaps.

_OOOOO_

Seamus woke up early two days later and went down to breakfast early with Neville, Ron and Dean. Neither Harry nor Hermione had woken since Dumbledore had retrieved them from through the trap door. It wasn't until Ron returned from the hospital wing at lunch time the day after 'the incident' that the students of the school even noticed that Harry and 'that muggle born girl he spends all his time with' were missing.

As it was well known that Harry and his dorm mates were all very close, Seamus, Ron, Dean, and Neville were all bombarded with questions. This got even worse when Draco Malfoy, who'd been visiting the hospital wing after Fred Weasley hexed him, informed the entire Hogwarts student body of the severity of Harry and Hermione's injuries. Professor Snape had punished Malfoy and the Weasley twins, but the damage was already done and stories began flying around about what had happened, each more absurd than that last.

Seamus sat in a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table and was halfway through piling kippers onto his plate before he realized that he didn't even like kippers. He blinked and swapped plates with Ron before taking a slice of toast. His thoughts were a mess; he'd been down to the hospital wing under Harry's cloak every night to sit with his friends, Neville had accompanied him on the first night but had been unable on the second as McGonagall had arranged for his grandmother to floo call him. Last night, he'd been sitting in a chair between Harry and Hermione's beds, which had been separated and he'd heard Dumbledore and Snape talking again.

From what he could make out, Harry and Hermione had spent almost forty minutes down in the chamber with, not only Quirrell, but Voldemort himself. Seamus had been horrified when he'd first overheard the conversation, but what he'd heard next had made it even worse, Snape had said something about a prophecy and the chosen one, he'd then gone on to say that Harry had only survived Voldemort's attack down in the chamber because of the 'special circumstances regarding Harry and Hermione'.

Seamus sighed and took a small sip of his coffee. "I'm off to see Harry and Hermione this afternoon; Pomfrey said they should be waking up soon. Anyone want to come?"

The other three boys nodded.

"Yeah, I asked the twins to get them some chocolate from down in Hogsmeade, and I should drop it off." Ron said, adding a sausage to his already filled plate.

"Don't you think you should have a rest Seamus?" Dean asked. "We've all heard you sneaking down to the hospital wing under Harry's cloak when you think we're asleep."

Seamus glared at his friend. "They're my friends, and I know they'd do the same if it was me. Maybe _you_ should be going down to see them more often."

"I'm not having a go at you mate; you just seem distracted and tired. You really could do with a rest." Dean said, frowning.

Seamus chewed his lip and took another slice of toast. "I'm fine; Harry and Hermione are the ones in the hospital wing."

Neville nodded. "We'll have to stop by Flitwick's office as we pass. Hermione will never forgive us if we let her fall behind on the work."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Seamus said, smiling at Neville. "I'll have to write a letter to Dudley when they wake up. I promised I'd keep him informed."

Several hours later, the four boys made their way down to the hospital wing, with a basket of sweets, chocolate, and cake hidden under the invisibility cloak. In the hospital wing, they found Harry sitting up in his bed chatting animatedly with Cedric Diggory.

Seamus forced a smile and nodded his head in Cedric's direction. "Diggory."

Cedric smiled brightly. "Hello, Finnegan, how are you?"

"Not bad." Seamus shrugged noncommittally before turning his back on Cedric and beaming at Harry. "How're you feeling, mate? We brought you some food. There you go." He placed the basket on Harry's bedside table.

Harry smiled. "Thanks." He pulled Seamus into a hug and beamed at the others. "Thanks, are you all okay?"

The other three boys grinned.

"You're the one in the hospital wing, mate, we should be asking you that." Ron said, leaning across the bed to pat Harry on the shoulder as Neville pulled him into a hug.

"I'm fine. Cedric was just telling me all about some of the stories going around. Apparently, a third year girl's been telling everyone that I got suspended for feeding Hermione to the giant squid." Harry glanced over at the still sleeping Hermione and his smile faltered.

Noticing the expression on his friends face, Seamus patted Harry on the arm and smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."

Harry forced a smile. "Yeah." His voice sounded hoarse.

Seamus took a seat, cross-legged, at the end of Harry's bed, and frowned at him in concern. "I know what you're thinking and you shouldn't blame yourself. Hermione would have gone with you regardless, and if you tried to stop her, I reckon she'd have put you in the hospital wing without any help from you-know-who."

Neville, Ron, and Dean who had all been chatting merrily stopped and gasped. There was a long awkward silence in which Cedric cleared his throat and stood up. "Well, I'd best be off. See you later, Harry, just come and find me if you need any help catching up with your school work." He waved goodbye and nodded at the other four boys.

Harry frowned. "How'd you know it was Voldemort?"

Seamus flinched at Harry's use of the name and then blushed. "I overheard Snape and Dumbledore talking when I was here last night."

"Last night?" Harry frowned. "What were you doing here last night?"

Dean glared at Seamus. "He's been sneaking out of the dormitory under your cloak every night to see you and Hermione."

"Really?" Harry asked, looking up at Seamus in surprise. "Why would you do that?"

Seamus blushed, embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I… wanted to see you were both okay. When Dumbledore brought you in I thought you were both dead. Hermione was really, really pale and both of you were covered in blood. Have you seen Hermione's scars? They're awful, and Pomfrey said she couldn't do much for them, she was cut so deeply."

Harry frowned. "Don't tell Hermione you saw the scars, she might be a bit sensitive about them." Seamus nodded and Harry smiled at him. "You really didn't have to visit us so much."

"Ah, it was nothing, what are mates for?" Seamus said, looking down and picking at the stitching of Harry's bed sheet. He looked up and smiled. "Someone had to watch over Hermione whilst you were unconscious."

Harry coughed into his fist and patted Seamus on the arm. "Thanks, Shay."

Seamus blushed again. "It's fine, Harry, it's not like you really needed anyone to watch Hermione for you."

"Yeah, but still…" Harry protested, pushing himself further up in his bed.

Seamus was just about to retort angrily to stop Harry thanking him when there was a quiet moaning sound from the next bed. Again, everyone in the ward fell silent as Hermione stirred and opened her eyes. Neville was the first one by her side, followed closely by Seamus, who had vaulted off of Harry's bed and across the gap.

"Hermione?" Neville asked tentatively.

She blinked again and rubbed her eyes.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Seamus bent over the bed, peering down at her.

Ron looked down at Hermione and punched Seamus in the arm. "Give her some space, do you think the first thing she wants to see when she wakes up is your ugly mug right in her face."

Seamus rubbed his arm, sighing in relief as Hermione tried to push herself up in bed. "I don't know, I wouldn't mind. After all, if there were a most amazing looking face award I would definitely win."

Hermione smiled sleepily. "You would, if the other competitors were Filch and the giant squid."

Seamus smiled fondly at Hermione. "You feelin' okay? We were so worried for you, I thought you were dead for sure when Dumbledore brought y' in."

"Not too bad, did Harry stop Quirrell getting the stone?" Ron and Neville helped Hermione sit up in bed as Dean went to tell Madam Pomfrey that Hermione had woken up.

"Yeah, although from what I've heard he were more concerned about stopping you-know-who choking you to death, not that we're complainin'." Seamus said, patting her on the head.

Hermione glared. "I'm not a dog."

"I didn't want to hug you, you might still be hurting." Seamus said, smiling cheerily.

Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it, turning to Ron. "Are you all right? You and Neville got out safely didn't you?"

Seamus extracted his hand from Hermione's and turned around, just remembering about Harry. He wrapped an arm around his back and helped him to his feet. Harry leant on Seamus as they slowly made their way over to Hermione's bed. "Thanks." Harry smiled gratefully as Seamus lowered him down onto the end of Hermione's bed.

_OOOOO_

Harry stood at the end of his bed with his arm around Hermione's waist scrutinizing the four Gryffindor boys who were all piled onto Dean's bed.

Hermione frowned and looked from Dean to Seamus, smiling apologetically. "I'm going to pick Dean."

The other three boys nodded and Dean stood up, moving to stand next to Hermione. Harry smiled at the rest of the boys and chewed his lip. "I don't think your mum wants you involved in this stuff, Ron." Harry said apologetically. "It wouldn't be good to have you there."

Ron nodded glumly and Seamus couldn't help but smile. Hermione had told him Harry's plan just after they'd been released from the hospital wing. "It's gotta be Neville, sorry Seamus." Harry smiled sadly and Hermione winked at him from over his shoulder.

"Right-o, mate." Seamus said briskly rubbing his hands together and pushing Neville to his feet.

Neville took his place next to Harry and Seamus noticed a smile curling the corner of Harry's lip. "Dumbledore told me he only wanted us to bring two friends when he explains." Harry shrugged apologetically. Ron's face fell further just as Harry began to grin and pulled something from under his robes and tossed it to Seamus, winking. "Do with it what you will, lads, it's not like I can stop you following me to Dumbledore's office."

Harry turned to leave and Hermione grinned toothily at Seamus, putting her thumbs up before turning and leaving with the three boys. Seamus grinned at Ron and helped him to his feet.

"So, what do you fancy doing this mornin'?" Seamus asked, smiling as he threw the invisibility cloak over the two of them.

"I don't know." Ron shrugged and began walking to the door. "How about a little walk, we could see what Harry and Hermione are up to."

Seamus smiled to himself and pulled the cloak tighter around himself and Ron, wondering if he should share the information he'd heard in the hospital wing with Ron. He quickly decided against it, ignoring the pang of guilt he got from keeping things from his friends, after all they were Harry's secrets to tell. As they reached the entrance to the common room he pushed aside the portrait of the Fat Lady. He and Ron pulled the cloak tighter, tucking it under their bums so that they could both climb through the portrait hole together whilst staying hidden. Once through they scuttled away from the common room, they quickly caught up to Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Dean.

As they neared the group, Seamus pulled Ron behind him as he bent forward and whispered, "We're behind you." in Hermione's ear.

Hermione flinched and turned around, smiling. "Good, Neville was worried you wouldn't catch us up. You won't be able to get into Professor Dumbledore's office any other way; he's meeting us by the entrance to his office."

Seamus nodded, before realizing Hermione couldn't actually see him. He blushed and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm nodding my head."

Hermione laughed. "Thanks for letting me know."

Dumbledore met them in front of a giant gargoyle Seamus was sure he must've passed every day that year and not noticed. He greeted the four students and turned to the gargoyle.

"Pear drops." The gargoyle sprang to life, nodding at Dumbledore and hopping to the side as the wall behind him split in two revealing a beautiful, golden spiral staircase which was moving smoothly upwards like a muggle escalator. Dumbledore lead the students onto the moving staircase, Ron grabbed Seamus tightly around the wrist as they hopped onto the stairs behind the other boys, Hermione, and Dumbledore. Just as they stepped onto the platform, the wall closed behind them with a loud thud and they began to rise upwards in circles, spiralling higher and higher until Seamus was so dizzy he could barely stand.

A large oak door appeared before the students and Dumbledore pulled it open, revealing to them the most amazing office Seamus had ever seen. The room was as big as the Gryffindor common room, circular and filled with hundreds and hundreds of tiny, fascinating, whirring objects.

Dumbledore took a seat behind the giant claw-foot desk and gestured for the four students to sit. The chairs that Harry, Neville, Dean, and Hermione sat on were works of art themselves; the wood was dark and shiny, with tiny carvings of the four Hogwarts animals up the frames. The animals appeared to be moving, dancing across Seamus's vision and the red velvet cushions looked more inviting than the seats in the Gryffindor common room.

The walls were covered in thousands of portraits of late headmasters and headmistresses, each one snoozing lightly in his or her frames. Seamus was so awestruck by the headmaster's office that he didn't even realize that the discussion had begun until he was snapped from his reverie by Harry asking. "_What?_"

Seamus looked up to see Dumbledore laced his long fingers together and watched Harry intently. "Do not be offended, Harry. I mean nothing by it other than that I feel you may be too young for this conversation; however, I will proceed with the necessary caution." He paused and lowered his hands. "What I have to tell Harry will indirectly affect the rest of you as well. Again, I feel you are too young to decide whether you wish to be involved, but I will give you the option to leave now. Harry may have need for his friends in the future, but your fates need not be so entangled with his."

Seamus was offended that Dumbledore would even offer such a thing. Did he really believe that any of them would leave Harry alone? He opened his mouth to challenge the headmaster before realizing that he and Ron were not supposed to be there. He gritted his teeth and settled for glaring at the headmaster.

Dumbledore smiled and lowered his hands. "Very well, if none of you wish to leave now, I shall begin. When you awoke in the hospital wing two days ago, Harry, you asked me several questions and I tried to answer them. All except one, 'why did Voldemort want to kill me?' I now intend to answer your question; although, again I must stress that you may not be ready to learn this." Seamus felt Ron flinch next to him as Dumbledore said the name 'Voldemort'.

Harry nodded. "I want to know, Professor." He said, leaning forward in his seat and resting his elbows on the desk.

"I did suspect that would be your answer." Dumbledore said, smiling.

Seamus watched as what he was quite certain was a phoenix flew from somewhere across the room and perched on Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled brightly, as it cooed in his ear, and stroked it on its head. "Hey, Fawkes." He patted the bird's beak as it bent its head and hummed a song in Hermione's ear.

There was a soft clinking noise and Seamus looked up to see Dumbledore placing a small stone bowl on his desk. He made a soft shushing noise and the phoenix and the four first year students fell silent again.

There was silvery liquid swirling in the bottom of the bowl. Dumbledore prodded it with his wand and a small silvery figure rose from the depths of the dish. A tiny woman stood in the centre of the bowl, Seamus was sure that he'd seen the woman around Hogwarts although he wasn't entirely certain who she was. She wore glasses so big they obscured half of her face and had so many shawls and beads hanging from her that she looked like an oversized moth. She opened her mouth and in a low, rasping voice began to speak.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

The woman sank back into the swirling silvery mass, the final syllable echoing throughout the silent office. The phoenix had stopped its singing and even the portraits on the wall had stopped snoring. Seamus frowned to himself, he wasn't sure he completely understood what the woman had said but if it meant what he thought it did then it definitely clarified some of the things he'd heard in the hospital wing.

"Professor, what was that?" Harry asked, still staring at the place where the woman had stood.

"It was a prophecy, Harry. Eleven years ago during a conversation with the Hogwarts divination professor she fell into a trance-like state, and unknowingly, made this prophecy." Dumbledore said, looking from Harry to Neville. "Did you understand what the prophecy meant?"

Harry nodded slowly. "It was about me right?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"In a way; initially, it was unknown who the child of the prophecy was. After the prophecy was created, two boys were born, both at the end of July and both to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort." Dumbledore's eyes didn't twinkle as he said this. He surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses and said solemnly, "You were one of the children; the second was the child of Frank and Alice Longbottom."

Neville blanched and he looked like he was about to be sick. Harry put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. Seamus took a step forward but was pulled back by Ron who frantically shook his head.

"Is that why- why…" Harry trailed off, struggling to maintain his composure. "That prophecy is why Voldemort killed my parents?" Dumbledore nodded and Harry continued. "And Lestrange? She- it was because of the prophecy wasn't it?"

"It is true that Voldemort heard part of the prophecy. He knew the criteria for this 'chosen one' and I am quite sure that he told Bellatrix Lestrange, who I believe was one of the most loyal of his followers. When you defeated Voldemort, Bellatrix believed that in using Neville as a sacrifice she could resurrect her master." Dumbledore looked sadly at Neville. "As with Harry, your parents sacrificed themselves to save you. No lasting mark was left and I'm sorry to say that your parents' condition is irreversible."

Neville wiped a tear from his cheek and sniffled. "I knew it. It's my fault, isn't it?"

Hermione whirled around to face her friend. "Don't you dare say that again. It's not your fault; your mother chose to save you, what do you think she'd say if she knew you believed it was your fault? Do you want her sacrifice to be in vain?" She glared at Harry as well. "If you two don't stop blaming yourselves for everything, that's how it will be. They wanted you to live, to survive and be happy. If you sit here and blame yourselves you're letting _Voldemort_ win."

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Hermione is correct. What has been done can't be reversed, but if you choose to live your life fully, live in happiness and contentment, then you are doing everything your parents wished and more. Do not concern yourself with the prophecy now; you have lived through so much hardship. I have told you what you wanted to know and I believe it has done more harm than good.

Right now you mustn't let the prophecy rule your lives, if its contents truly are meant to come to pass then they will and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it; if not, then the prophecy does not matter as its contents will bear no relevance to your lives. Do not make the same mistake Voldemort did; he set too much store by the prophecy and that was his downfall. Had he ignored it in the first place, then you would not have been marked as his equal and it would have become, essentially, void."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "From what I've read, divination is a very sketchy subject. You should listen to Professor Dumbledore, Harry, Voldemort may have tried to kill you because of the prophecy but by doing that he's shown you one of his weaknesses. You know the prophecy and so you should be able to predict what will happen. Voldemort believes that he has to be the one to kill you, which pretty much gives you immunity among the ranks of the death eaters. None of them will harm you for fear of their master's wrath."

"Why did Voldemort pick me, though?" Harry asked. "Wouldn't it have been better if he'd waited until we were older and then he chose one of us?"

"From what I understand of Voldemort, he chose you, Harry, because he saw himself in you. Voldemort did not choose the pureblood child, which, according to his creed, would have been the most desirable; he chose the halfblood, like himself."

"You-know-who's a halfblood?" Dean asked, it was the first time Seamus had heard him speak in front of Dumbledore.

"I have spent many years looking into Voldemort's past and, from what I have learnt; his mother appears to have been a pureblood witch and his father, a muggle man."

Harry frowned. "So Quirrell was wrong then? Down in the chamber he told me that Voldemort is the only living descendant of Salazar Slytherin, he meant Salazar Slytherin, the founder, didn't he?"

"Voldemort _is_ in fact the heir of Slytherin, his mother was the last of a pureblood family, the Gaunts, and it's a well known fact that they can trace their lineage as far back as Salazar Slytherin himself. To trace your lineage as far back as the Founders is considered a great thing in pureblood society. There are no known Gryffindor descendants, and the Ravenclaw line ended when Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter died in Albania. Voldemort is the Slytherin heir, and it is a well known fact that the Smith family are directly descended from Helga Hufflepuff."

"Like Zach Smith in Hufflepuff?" Dean asked, frowning slightly. "He doesn't have many Hufflepuff values at all."

Dumbledore smiled. "Had Harry not come to Hogwarts this year, I am quite sure that young Zacharias would have been the most well known student in the school."

Dumbledore dismissed the four students half an hour later and, with a loud scraping of chairs, the three boys and Hermione got to their feet and made their way out of the door. Seamus tapped Ron on the back of the wrist and they made to follow Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Dean to the door.

"Wait." The door closed gently before the two boys could reach it. Seamus looked around the room for the person who Dumbledore may have been speaking to but saw no one.

Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "Harry will need his friends both before and after Voldemort returns; please do not let him down. He is very close to the two of you and I fear you will both have a very big part to play before the end."

Seamus pulled the cloak off Ron and himself and tucked it into his robes. "You won't tell Harry off for lending us his cloak will you?" He asked.

"No, I shan't. Hagrid sends his thanks, without your help we are quite sure he would no longer have a home."

"How?" Seamus asked

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he said, "Pay heed to my warning, boys; you may leave."

Seamus realized that they had been dismissed but couldn't move; Ron had to grab him around the wrist, lead him from the office and back down the stairs. He blinked as the wall behind them slammed shut. "How did he even know we were there?"

Ron shrugged. "I suppose that's why he's headmaster. Hermione called him an enigma; he just knows stuff, doesn't he?"

Seamus chuckled as he and Ron made their way back down the corridor. "Come on we'll have to catch them up. I bet they've gone down the great hall for lunch."

They rounded the corner at the end of the corridor and Seamus walked straight into a woman, who steadied herself by grabbing hold of Professor McGonagall's arm.

"Mrs. Dursley?" Seamus hugged her around the middle. "How are you?"

"Seamus dear, you're looking very thin. Are you sure you're eating enough?" She looked at Professor McGonagall before turning back to Seamus. "I'm ever so glad to hear that you didn't get mixed up in all this business with that stone. Harry and Hermione are in big trouble when they get home. We've come to meet with the headmaster so that he can explain what happened."

Seamus looked up, wondering who the 'we' were and saw a very frazzled looking Mrs. Granger giving Ron a big hug. He smiled to himself and looked back up at Mrs. Dursley. "Do you want me to tell Harry and Hermione you're here? We're just off down to the great hall; we can ask them to meet you in a bit, if you want."

"That would be very much appreciated, dear; I need a word with Harry, recklessly endangering his life like that." She shook her head. "Just make sure he knows that he is in big trouble."

Seamus grinned and nodded, giving Mrs. Dursley another hug. "I'll see you later, Mrs. Dursley."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dear Neville, Seamus, Ron, and Dean,

Thanks for the letters. Me and Hermione are still grounded. Aunt Petunia won't let me go out, and the only reason I get to see Hermione is because her parents are working so much. Aunt Petunia wasn't too bad when I got home; I think she was more worried than anything else.

My uncle Toby gave me an early birthday present so I could write letters to you easier. It's a charmed quill set, what you do is put each of the quills on a separate piece of parchment and they copy what you write with the first quill; he said it's like a duplication charm but I don't have to use magic.

How are you all? Other than being bored and stuck in the house me and Hermione are fine. We're off to France, on holiday, after mine and Dudley's birthdays. Aunt Tuney wanted to know if you all wanted to come over on the first of August for a little birthday party (she said it can be for Neville too if he wants).

My uncle Toby was round the other day and he said that, he'd heard in the Leaky Cauldron, that thanks to Seamus and Dean Hagrid's house didn't go up in smoke. Apparently, he'd been keeping a dragon in there; Uncle Toby said something about Quirrell planting it there. I think we really need to start going to see him, on the first day of term we can go over and visit him. I think he's really lonely and he seems like a right nice bloke, we shouldn't judge him on the giant thing, I mean, we all like Flitwick and he's part goblin.

I'll send this letter as soon as Hedwig gets back from hunting. See you soon.

Harry and Hermione.

xxxxx

_Diary of Petunia Dursley_

_Sunday__,__ 24__th__ July_

Sometimes Harry infuriates me so much. When he first started at Hogwarts he _promised_ me he would be careful. I should have known better, that boy doesn't even know the meaning of the word careful. I imagine the only way I'd be able to keep Harry safe is to lock him in a padded room and even then I bet he could still find a way to get in danger.

For now all I can do is keep him grounded until his birthday, luckily Helen has decided to follow my lead and is keeping Hermione in. And there's the other problem, I can't believe Harry would endanger Hermione like that. Normally, he would do everything within his power to keep her safe, what was different this time? Albus said that he'd been focused on saving her but he still endangered her; it's enough that he took it upon himself to stop this Squirrel man from taking this stone, but getting Hermione involved, what an earth was going through his head?

On another note, I am quite sure that Severus is either seeing someone, or as Dudley would say, he has a 'crush' on someone. I asked him but all he did was blush, although his not-so-subtle question evasion told me enough. I'd ask Harry if he's seen anything at school, but he's already far too nosey for his own good. Perhaps I could ask Vernon to give him a talking to.

xxxxx

To Neville.

How are you? Your greenhouse sounds so cool, what sort of magical plants do you keep in there?

Thanks for the box of chocolates you sent me for my birthday. Is Honeydukes a brand or a shop? Well whatever it is, it makes the best chocolates I've ever had, ever.

The holidays are being pretty boring at the moment. Mum and Dad are still annoyed at Harry and Hermione for that thing with the Filossisers Stone (What did your Gran say? Was she annoyed?) We haven't done anything this holiday so far; I really hope you can come over for the party, my mum said it would be great if you can come and that your Gran is welcome to come too.

From Dudley.

xxxxx

Harry,

I'm doing good. My cousin Fergus is stopping at our house and he just got his apparition license. He keeps popping up when you're least expecting it. Yesterday he did it when I was in the bath, he frightened the hell outta me and I ended up launching a bottle of hair growth potion at him. I wish I'd had a camera with me, you shoulda seen his eyebrows.

My mum said I can go to your party, and she wants to know if you want to come over for the last week of the holidays when you get back from France. Have you heard from Nev? Would you mind letting me know if he can go to yours, 'cause if he is then I'll just bring his birthday present with me instead of sending it with an owl.

Seamus.

xxxxx

Cedric,

Thanks for the birthday present; you didn't have to get me anything. I don't even know when your birthday is, you'll have to tell me and then I can get you a gift for your birthday.

How are you? I just remembered that I never got a chance to properly explain what happened last year like I promised. How about we meet up the first Sunday back at school so I can tell you everything, I think the story is probably a lot more interesting that all the rumours that were going around.

Did you hear about Hagrid's dragon? It set his hut on fire last term but Dumbledore made him get rid of it; apparently, it's been sent to the dragon reserve where Ron Weasley's older brother Charlie works. I can't believe he managed to keep a dragon for so long, I've never seen one but I've heard they can grow massive and can be really aggressive. Have you ever seen a dragon?

Have you decided which Quidditch position you're playing this year, you're not a bad seeker (better than Chang and that bloke from Slytherin) but from what I've heard you're a brilliant keeper, are you better than Wood? There doesn't seem to be many people wanting to play seeker at the moment, in Gryffindor we don't have any reserves and I suppose you don't in Hufflepuff since if you did you wouldn't be playing seeker anyway. Fred said it's because we're always targeted by the opposing team members, do you know what sort of hexes and curses are used to foul seekers? My aunt and Hermione have got all worried and are trying to get me to research it, (I couldn't find anything in Quidditch Through the Ages).

Anyway see you soon and enjoy the rest of your holidays.

From Harry (Potter).

xxxxx

Harry and Hermione,

How are you both? Thanks for inviting us to your party, it was brilliant. We're glad to hear you're not in trouble any more.

How's France? Where are you? Is it warm? Neither of us have ever been to France; are either of you any good at speaking French?

Are we meeting up in Diagon Alley to get school supplies? Seamus said he's meeting Harry in Diagon Alley and then they're both going back to Ireland for the last week of the holidays. He offered for us to join you all. I think Neville's going as well, and taking Dudley to his house for the last week. If this is true then does Hermione want to join us at the burrow? Mum said it's okay.

From Ron and Dean.

xxxxx

_Diary of Petunia Dursley_

_Friday__,__ 23rd August _

The boys and Hermione seem to be spending so much time away from home at the moment. Since we moved to the terrace I don't think I've spent more than a night away from them and now I've barely even seen them at all this year. Thank Christ Severus bought the boys Hedwig and Smudge; I don't think I'd ever hear from them without the owls.

This morning we had a trip down to Diagon Alley where we saw Harry's friends. To be honest I'm rather surprised at how close Dudders and Neville have gotten. I didn't really expect Dudley to find many friends in the wizarding world, but this Longbottom boy seems lovely. He and Harry's close friend Seamus have been writing to him since Christmas and they even bought him a birthday present each. Harry and Severus have both told me a little bit about Neville, his mother and father were driven to insanity by a servant of the man who killed Lily and he was brought up by his grandmother. I think it'll be good for Harry to spend time with them, they don't seem to attract nearly as much trouble as Harry.

I also met Seamus's mother today, Mary Finnegan, she seems like a very nice woman, perhaps a little naïve but Harry should be all right with her for the week, and she's assured me she'll get Harry to king's cross station on time for the school train. What I am worried about is how Harry will cope away from Hermione for so long, I don't think they've ever spent such a lengthy amount of time apart and I don't know what problems this could cause for the bond. Harry has told me that the bond seems to be developing rather nicely, he's beginning to feel more of Hermione's emotions and apparently she's learnt to send messages through the bond, although Harry tells me that doesn't understand how she does it, but what if spending a week apart does something. I've not forgotten the story Albus told us about those children which died; apparently, that's not going to happen but I can't help but worry.

**AN: Again I feel that I should warn you about slash and character death later on in this story. **

**Also I have only just realized that I haven't added a disclaimer about the title of this story. The title came from a song with the same title, 'to have a home' by Darren Criss. **

**-beksta **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Harry gave Mrs. Finnegan another hug goodbye and thanked her, for letting him stay, for what must've been the fiftieth time that morning. He reached out through the bond, feeling to see if Hermione was anywhere nearby, he sensed her on the train and felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was a strange thing, he mused, he didn't feel any pain whilst he was away from Hermione and yet as he neared her he could feel happiness, contentment, and relief wash over him.

Harry turned and smiled at Seamus as he gave his mother a final kiss goodbye and warned her to take care of herself. The two boys made their way onto the train, dragging their heavy trunks behind them. Harry gestured to a carriage at the end of the train where he knew Hermione would be waiting for them.

As they neared the compartment Hermione popped her head out of the door, her face splitting into a grin. She launched herself at Harry and he dropped his trunk to wrap his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair and inhaling deeply, the only way he could describe the scent was as _home_.

"Merlin, I missed you." He felt a strong surge of joy through the bond.

"Me too." She pulled him tighter and whispered in his ear. "I think the bond's getting stronger."

Harry nodded as Hermione let go of him and pulled Seamus into a hug. "How're you, Seamus, you had a good week?"

"Ah, not bad, me mam seemed to really like Harry." Seamus said, ruffling her hair.

Hermione laughed and led the two boys into the compartment where Dean and Ron and a small red-headed girl were waiting for them.

"Hello." Harry said cheerfully, holding out his hand to the girl. "I'm Harry, what's your name?"

The girl squeaked and blushed holding out a tentative hand to shake Harry's. "G-Ginny Weasley."

"Oh, you're Ron's little sister? Fred told me all about you-" He bit his lip remembering that Fred had actually told him how feisty his little sister was. "Yeah." He finished lamely.

Hermione laughed and said, "Harry, Ginny's just been dying to meet you. She was more excited to meet you than to come to Hogwarts."

Ginny elbowed Hermione in the arm, looking scandalized. "_Hermione_!" She hissed, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Don't worry, Gin, Hermione's just trying to break the ice a little." Dean said smiling. "Harry won't tease you. The one you've gotta watch out for is Seamus, he's like the twins, turn your back on him and you'll have tentacles sprouting from your ears."

"What a flattering introduction. Thanks mate." Seamus said, rolling his eyes.

Dean shrugged. "It _is _true. You have to admit you're a bit of an arse."

Seamus held two fingers up at Dean in a hand gesture Harry was sure his mother would have told him off for, just as Ron punched Dean in the shoulder, widening his eyes. "Watch your mouth in front of Gin, she's only little."

Dean sighed and leaned back in his seat smiling. Harry followed his friend's gaze, looking over to see Ginny glowering at her older brother. "I am not a little girl, Ron. You, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George all used worse language before you even started at Hogwarts."

Harry frowned. "You forgot Percy."

The two Weasleys barely looked at Harry as they snorted in derision. "You're not that old either, Gin, and you're a girl. It's not good to have a little girl marching around swearing like a sailor." Ron said, leaning forward in his seat.

"How many times, Ron? I'm not a little girl and do you really think I'm so impressionable that I'm gonna go around shouting words like _'fuck' _at everyone just because I heard you or someone else say it."

Ron flinched as his sister swore and his gaze became stony. "See, that's my point. You're eleven; you shouldn't even know words like that."

"What do you mean I shouldn't know words like that? I'm eleven that's only one year younger than you." Ginny's nostrils flared, and Harry couldn't help but compare her to an especially angry lion, especially with her tangled mane of red hair.

"It's different, you're a girl, and you're the youngest. The others would agree with me if they were here, if you want I'll just go find Percy and tell him you used the f-word."

"You just do that, Ron." She glared threateningly at her brother. "Just keep an eye out for spiders. Charlie told me a whole colony of acromantulas lives in the forbidden forest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know, Ron, you tell me." Ginny gritted her teeth in irritation as Ron fingered the handle of his wand. "But if you point that wand at me I'm sure you'll find out sooner than expected."

"You're bluffing." Ron said, paling; he turned to Harry. "She's bluffing."

"Hmm." Ginny said shrugging. "Lee has a tarantula, he's called Tom."

"Don't you dare, Ginny, if you do I'll- I'll…"

"You'll do what?" Ginny stood up narrowing her eyes. "Don't you threaten _me_. Just because you've already spent a year at Hogwarts it doesn't mean I can't hex you back, Fred taught me a couple of spells during the holidays, there's no rules about practicing before going to school."

"Oh, yeah?" Ron stood up and pulled his wand from his robes. "Go on then, show me what you've learnt."

Harry wasn't sure when Ginny had actually got her wand out, but the moment Ron challenged his little sister she jabbed him in the throat with her wand. Ginny opened her mouth to hex her brother, but was cut off by the door to the compartment sliding open and Neville sticking his head through the gap.

Neville's faced paled and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, Ron and Ginny were standing in the centre of the compartment, eyes blazing, and their wands pressed to each other's throats. Neville, having not met Ginny before, looked completely bewildered and for a second Harry was sure he was going to back out of the compartment.

Everyone in the compartment froze, turning to look at the still-bewildered Neville. The six students fell silent, there was a loud whistling noise from somewhere outside and the train began to move, as it accelerated Ron, Ginny and Neville, who were all standing up, all fell to the floor, collapsing into a giant heap. Ginny was the first to her feet, punching her brother in the head as she stowed her wand back in her robes.

She smiled friendlily at Hermione. "See you later, Hermione. I don't think I want to stay here now." She then turned to Harry and blushed, looking suddenly three years younger. "See you, H-Harry."

Harry frowned trying to work out what had happened, Ginny had gone from a shy child being introduced to her brother's friends, to an angry and slightly aggressive girl, and back to Hermione's friend and the shy child again. He looked at Hermione, bewildered.

"What just happened?" He asked.

Hermione laughed, leaning over and resting her head on Harry's shoulder. "Ginny's might have a little crush on you, but you should've seen her last week, she talks more than Seamus. Her and Ron were arguing all week, Dean said they'd been at each other's throats the whole time he'd been there; sibling love and all that."

Dean nodded as he pulled Neville to his feet. "Ginny's like a mini-Fred and George when she's not around you, mate."

"Yeah, apart from she got her temper from my mum." Ron said, blushing as he rubbed his head where Ginny had punched him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, she seems like a right precious little darlin' to me." Seamus grinned, loading Neville's bag into the overhead rack.

"Oh, your wit is just what we all need right now." Ron said dryly.

"Ah yes, from the bloke who just got threatened by his little sister." Seamus grinned, flopping down in the seat next to Hermione and leaning on her. "Has anyone ever told you that your shoulder's really comfortable?"

"I don't think so, no." Hermione said, shrugging so that his head bounced from her shoulder.

"Yeah, well I'm not surprised; you should learn the cushioning charm."

Harry turned away from Seamus and Hermione who had started what was beginning to sound like a very long and boring debate on the uses of cushioning charms on various body parts.

"So how was your holiday, Nev?" Harry asked.

"Brilliant. You're brother's great fun; he helped me in my greenhouse, he seemed fascinated by all the plants, especially the flutterby bush I keep by the entrance."

Harry smiled at how happy his friend was, from what he'd heard of Neville's upbringing he hadn't had many people his own age around at his house, and to have someone like Dudley, who found everything magical enthralling, was exactly what Neville needed.

"So Dud was fine then?" Harry asked. "You dropped him off at school all right."

Neville chuckled. "You are just as bad as he is. He spent all week insisting that he was your big brother and feeling guilty about the stuff with the Philosopher's Stone, and here you are asking if he's okay."

"Yeah, but he's my brother, I've got to look out for him. He's a Muggle and he needs someone from our world to keep an eye out for him."

"If you need help with that I'm sure you've got plenty of Wizard friends to help, and your uncle _Se-_Toby." Neville widened his eyes suggestively. "That _is_ his name isn't it?"

"Uncle Toby? Oh," Harry took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I should have known. I love him and all that, but my brother isn't the brightest wand in the box. I'm so sorry, mate, I've been meaning to tell you for so long but I just couldn't." Harry chewed his lip, feeling guilty.

Neville patted him on the arm. "We'll talk about it at school." He looked around the compartment, nodding his head discreetly at the others. "I'm still annoyed you didn't tell us, but I'll let you explain."

Harry nodded gratefully. "Thanks, mate, please don't tell the others."

_OOOOO_

Harry had completely forgotten that a replacement Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would need to be hired after the 'incident' with Quirrell. It turned out that the new teacher was rather well known in the Wizarding world; in fact, he'd written several books on the adventures he'd had and the dark creatures he'd faced. Although all of these books were apparently fact, Harry couldn't help but compare them to the Muggle fiction books he liked to read; to Harry 'Holiday with Hags' was like a more flamboyant version of Roald Dahl's 'The Witches'.

In their first lesson with Professor Lockhart, the class was set a quiz with a series of questions on Lockhart's books. Harry, Ron, and Seamus had a great time that lesson thinking up as many interesting and rude answers as possible. Once Lockhart had collected in the tests, he made Harry stand up in front of the class to read out large excerpts from one of Lockhart's many books so that he could practice speaking in public; this, Lockhart said, was a necessary skill for someone who could 'potentially be as great as him someday'.

In Harry's opinion, the weekend couldn't come soon enough, thankfully Neville hadn't brought up 'Uncle Toby' again but that was the only good thing about that week. Severus had been even harder on the Gryffindors as usual, and Professor McGonagall set them a mountain of homework for their first lesson back.

At nine o'clock on Saturday morning Harry and Neville made their way across the grounds down to Hagrid's cabin. As they walked slowly across the grass Harry chewed his lip, he knew that at some point Neville was going to ask about Severus and he wasn't sure what he would tell him. He couldn't lie, he knew that much, but how much should he tell Neville? More or less than what he'd told Cedric last year, he definitely trusted Neville more than he'd trusted Cedric then but did he actually need to explain about Severus working for both Voldemort and Dumbledore? Perhaps that was going a bit too far.

"Harry?" Neville asked quietly.

Harry looked up, he knew exactly what Neville was about to ask. "You want to know about my uncle don't you?"

Neville nodded. "Why did you lie?"

Harry paused thinking, that was one question he wasn't expecting. "I had to; Severus didn't want anyone else to know about it, if it gets back to Voldemort that Severus is so close to us he'd be dead by the end of the day."

Neville looked shocked. "So you don't trust us, then?" He asked sounding very hurt.

"No, Neville, I don't mean it like that, I just couldn't tell you."

"So you think that I'd tell everyone? You don't trust me to keep my mouth closed?" Harry was sure that if he was in Neville's position he'd be shouting by now, but his friend seemed very calm, although Harry thought he could see Neville's lip quivering as though he was trying not to cry.

"No, it's not that, Neville. You know I'd trust you with my life; you're one of my best friends. _Professor _Snape is like my uncle, how could I tell you that? Everyone in our dorm hates him and he pretty much bullies you, what else could I have done?" Harry stopped and put an arm around Neville's shoulders. "I couldn't tell you at first because I didn't properly know you and I couldn't tell you after that because I thought you'd hate me. I can't stop him being nasty because it's part of his cover, if Ron and Seamus find out about him they wouldn't talk to me again."

Neville sniffed and managed a small smile. "Thanks for explaining it to me. I won't tell them, but I think you should soon. They won't hate you; none of us could hate you."

Harry looked down at the ground. "I don't know. Cedric was shocked enough and he doesn't even hate Severus."

"You told Cedric?" Neville stifled a laugh.

"What? What's so funny?" Harry frowned, unsure of why his friend was laughing.

"Seamus and Ron hate Cedric. "

"I don't see why, he's really friendly; I'm meeting him for lunch in the kitchens tomorrow."

Neville laughed again. "You worried what Ron and Seamus would say if they knew you were so close to Professor Snape; you should've been worried about what they would say if they knew you'd told Cedric before you told them. Seamus is your best friend; he's going to be furious."

"How is that funny?" Harry stopped at they neared Hagrid's front door. "Seamus is a complete arse, almost everyone else in our year hates him and he's got a terrible temper." He cradled his head in his hands. "I don't think I will tell him, he's more frightening than Voldemort when he's angry."

Neville nodded, reaching forward to knock on the door. "You're not wrong there, I don't envy you at all, Harry." He rapped on the door twice with his fist, and from inside they heard a dog barking.

"Fang, be quiet. Move out of the way yer silly dog." The door swung open and Hagrid appeared in the doorway. "Harry, how're you? I barely saw you las' year. An' who is this?" He peered down at Neville who visibly shrunk under the half-giant's gaze. "You're Frank an' Alice's boy, aren't you? It were a terrible thing that happened to them, I could hardly believe it when I firs' heard. You an' 'arry 'ave a lot in common, you know? I'm not surprised you're such close friends."

Neville looked down, blushing and wringing his hands. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hagrid."

Hagrid's booming laugh echoed through the hut as he ushered them inside. "Ah, there's no need for that 'mister' business, just call me Hagrid, that's what everyone else calls me."

Neville smiled shyly. "Sorry, uh, Hagrid."

Hagrid smiled warmly and patted Neville on the arm, the chair Neville had just sat on creaked ominously under the force and he sprang back to his feet blushing again. "We, uh, me and Harry wanted to know if you want any help with anything."

Harry nodded looking very uncertain. "You don't seem to have many people around at your house so we thought you might like some, you know, company."

"Well tha's very nice o' you lads." Hagrid looked around the hut. "Well I suppose you could help me dig a new pumpkin patch. I think someone might've put a curse in the earth of the old one, it won't grow anythin'."

Neville nodded his head eagerly; Harry noticed how his friend's face had suddenly illuminated at the mention of plants and couldn't help but smile to his self. Not many things seemed to make Neville smile, but the mention of anything related to agriculture instantly made him grin like a Cheshire cat.

Hagrid and Neville began a conversation on the properties of certain magical fertilizers. Harry, unable to understand what any of it meant, used the time to have a little look around Hagrid's cabin. It was a surprisingly small space for such a huge man, a large, squashy looking bed was crammed into a corner of the room and in the centre of the room was a big, round table. A crossbow hung from the mantelpiece of a fireplace which looked to have been just lit.

"Severus said your house got damaged in a fire last year, you seem to have patched it up rather quickly." Harry said, still looking around.

Neville turned to him, his eyes widened incredulously. "Don't worry, mate, Hagrid knows. He's the one that took us to Diagon Alley at the start of first year."

"I thought you weren't supposed to tell anyone about you an' Snape knowing one another? Professor Dumbledore mentioned it quite a few times both before and after I took you." Hagrid said, passing Harry and Neville a rather large shovel each.

Harry grinned accepting the shovel and shouldering it as he would with a broomstick. "Dudley let slip when he stayed over at Neville's in the holidays, I kind of had to tell him then."

"Ah…" Hagrid paused for a second thinking before opening the front door of his hut and leading them back out into the bright morning light. "I'm glad your brother has found friends in the Wizarding world, tha's always a worry with parents."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that happened with my mum and my Aunt Tuney. They didn't stay close after Hogwarts, and apparently, Tuney didn't like Sev at all then."

"Aye, you wouldn't believe how many Muggleborns have non-magical siblings; it's always a bit of a problem when your siblings aren't the same as you." Hagrid plunged his shovel into the ground, scooping up a mound of grass and earth.

Harry sighed and began digging, wondering what would have happened if his mother and aunt had remained close after Hogwarts. Would his parents still be alive? Would Voldemort have been defeated? Would Harry and Hermione still have their bond? Harry didn't believe there was any reality in which he and Hermione wouldn't have shared their bond; it was a part of them. Harry couldn't really remember his life before Hermione, as far back as he could remember he could always feel Hermione's presence, in the back of his mind he was constantly wondering how she was and what she was doing. Harry paused with his digging and reached out to Hermione through the bond, checking her emotions, making sure she was all right. Satisfied, Harry wiped away the mud that had somehow gotten onto his forehead and continued digging.

_OOOOO_

Harry was pleased to find that Hagrid enjoyed his and his friends' company just as much as they did his. The jobs they had spent both Saturday and Sunday mornings helping Hagrid with had tired Harry out completely, and so he'd barely even made it to the kitchens in time for his meeting with Cedric.

He slid into the kitchens five minutes late and dropped his bag onto one of the tables as he sat down beside it. "Sorry I'm late, I would've been here sooner but we were back down at Hagrid's this morning finishing digging the pumpkin patch, and me and Ron got into a bit of a mud fight and once it was over we had to get cleaned up."

Cedric reached out a pale hand to pull something from Harry's hair. He held it up and smiled. "Mud, obviously you didn't clean yourself up very well."

Harry shook his head like a dog and grinned. "Better?" Cedric smiled and handed Harry a warm beef sandwich on a plate. "So, how was your holiday, then?"

"Not bad, Dad was busy quite a bit with work but I had a few trips to Diagon Alley with my mum, and we had a couple of dinner parties with a rather large group of pureblood bigots from the ministry. Apparently dinner parties are the only way to increase your standing at the ministry." He shrugged, his forehead creasing slightly. "It could've been worse; they've started training me up to be a proper pureblood heir, dad even made me go with him to one of the Wizengamot sessions."

Harry took a bite of his sandwich and sighed in satisfaction. "This is great." He smiled and took another bite, swallowing the mouthful and having a sip of the tea one of the elves had poured for him. "Well, at least _you_ weren't in trouble for trying to save the school from Voldemort."

"That's the price you have to pay for being a hero; look at it this way, you're better off with docked pocket money than you are dead."

"It'd be all right if it was just docked pocket money but my aunt grounded me." Cedric frowned in confusion and Harry smiled. "It's a Muggle term for when your parents won't let you go out, as a punishment. Severus agreed with her, he was really angry at me and had a whole rant, he kept telling me that I should have gone to him and that I put a lot of people in danger."

Cedric frowned and sat forward on his bench. "Last year you were really annoyed that you're famous for something you can't remember doing-"

"Something I didn't do, Ced, I still am famous for something I didn't do. It's horrible, Lockhart thinks I want to grow up to be like him, and I haven't done anything; my parents were the ones who died, my mother faced Voldemort, not me."

Cedric raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lips quirked in a small smile. "How about you let me finish before you get all stressy again?" Harry's chest puffed out indignantly and Cedric smiled again. "Your mother may have faced you-know-who when you were a baby but last year you, an eleven year old boy, faced him and survived. You saved Hermione and you stopped him from stealing that stone thing, I don't think anyone other than death eaters have faced you-know-who and survived, never mind done battle after only one year of magical education. You really have done something to be proud of, mate."

Harry scowled and put the last piece of sandwich into his mouth. "I didn't do anything. Ron, Hermione, and Neville got me past all of the other things, all I did was stall Voldemort long enough for Dumbledore to come and save us. I always rely on other people, Dumbledore, my mother, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Dean. I haven't done anything to be proud of; I'm not a hero, I'm just surrounded by stupidly brave, clever people."

"Don't put yourself down like that, you might not see yourself as a hero but you really are. You're brave and loyal, you're a Gryffindor through and through, although I'm sure you'd have fit into Hufflepuff. I don't think you'd have earned so much of Dumbledore's trust and respect by relying on other people."

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again, what could he say? No matter what he answered, Cedric would just find a way to twist his words and make everything he did sound brave and selfless. Harry sighed, why couldn't people just see him for what he was? Even his friends treated him with a small amount of reverence, as though he was the leader of their little gang. Hermione insisted on doing the same as Cedric, he just couldn't understand why people wouldn't listen to him.

"You're wrong. Maybe one day I'll do something brave and then people will have a proper reason to look up to me, but at the moment I'm just a kid. There's no point in arguing with me, Ced, I think I know myself better than anyone else does; except Hermione, but she likes to always try and make people feel better about themselves." Harry frowned as he watched the elves carrying pots and pans over to a large sink to be washed.

"Fine, you're not a hero, you're just a second year boy who is both very lucky and very unlucky." Harry nodded his head in satisfaction and Cedric continued, "_But _there is no way for you to deny that you're an amazing Quidditch player who has a knack for sneaking about the castle after hours and solving mysteries."

Harry's forehead creased in irritation as he accepted a treacle tart an elf thrust at him. "I can't see why you have to be so bloody optimistic. Yeah, I'm all right at Quidditch, but you know that I have the cloak for sneaking about with and Hermione's always there to help solve mysteries. Why do you always try and make my life sound like an episode of 'Scooby Doo'? 'Ooh look someone's up to no good; well, never fear, Harry's here with his gang of kids to solve the mystery and catch Voldemort out'." Harry scowled as he stabbed violently at his desert. "I _don't_ want to be special. Why can't I be a normal wizard like Ron or you? Everyone has to make a massive song and dance out of everything I ever do and I'm fed up of it."

Cedric raised an eyebrow and Harry squirmed uncomfortably, he always looked like he was analysing Harry as though he could read minds or something. "Fine, deny it, deny everything you've ever done." He sighed and cradled his head in his hands. "You're impossible you know that? We'll just forget this entire conversation. How about you explain to me what 'an episode of "Scooby Doo"' is, and tell me everything that happened last year."

Harry nodded. "I'll tell you and then you'll see that actually Ron was the bravest one of us."

Harry stood up and moved to sit cross legged in front of the kitchen's massive fireplace. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he was determined to show Cedric he wasn't a hero. Harry didn't know why the idea of being a hero didn't appeal to him, most boys his age would want nothing more than to be known by everyone in the world but Harry couldn't think of anything worse. His talent at Quidditch was okay, he'd done that himself without any help from others, Wood had chosen him for the team and Harry had spent hours practicing to make himself the best seeker he could be. Everything else he did just seemed like he'd somehow cheated, killing Quirrell was an accident and he hadn't meant to defeat Voldemort when he was a baby.

_OOOOO_

It only took Harry a few weeks after the start of term for him to realize that he should avoid Professor Lockhart at all times. Two weeks into term, Lockhart had kept him behind after the lesson to ask him to help with writing letters to his fans. Another time, Lockhart had asked Harry to sign some photographs for various people.

This incident had occurred just outside the great hall and much to Harry's embarrassment almost half of the school had been there to see Harry point blank refuse to sign any pictures. He'd then received a detention from Severus for hexing Malfoy who'd sauntered over to Harry and asked, in a very mocking tone, for an autograph to go with the ones he'd gotten from the captain of the Chudley Cannons, Professor Lockhart, and his aunt Bellatrix. And as if this wasn't bad enough for Harry, the whole situation was made much worse by the fact that Neville had aimed a curse at Malfoy at the same time but missed and hit a first year Slytherin boy.

Seamus, of course, had found the whole thing too funny and he and the Weasley twins had spent the next week and a half following Harry around the school asking for Harry to sign whatever items they had on their person. This stopped when, in transfiguration, Seamus asked Harry to sign his boxers, and Harry, who'd had enough of everyone's mocking, picked up the teacup he was supposed to be transfiguring into a mouse and threw it at his best friends head. McGonagall had given them both detentions, and sent them out of the lesson refusing to allow them to come back until they'd decided to act their own age.

On Halloween morning, Harry was shaken awake rather early by a first year boy who'd been following Harry around, taking pictures of him, since the first day of term.

"Whassup?" Harry asked as he rolled over and pulled the curtains around his head back. "_Colin__,_ what do you think you're doing?"

"Wood sent me up to get you." Colin took advantage of Harry's groggy state to take another snap of him.

"Agh, what in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Harry glared at the first year boy. "There's no need to take pictures of me… what time is it anyway?"

"Just gone six." Colin said, tucking his camera back into his robes. "Wood said you're late for practice."

Harry rolled over and groaned into his pillow. "Why does he keep doing this? There are so many hours in a day to practice Quidditch, why does he always insist on choosing the early ones?" He rolled back over and pushed himself up. "Right, go tell Wood I'll be down in a minute. And there's no need to take any pictures of me in my boxers."

Colin slipped out of the room as Harry clambered out of bed and, shivering, extracted his red Quidditch robes from a heap of dirty laundry. He yawned and scribbled a quick note to his friends telling them that he'd gone down to another one of Wood's early morning Quidditch sessions. Harry looked groggily out of the window, sighing inwardly at the sight of the rain bouncing off of the roofs of the greenhouses, the fog outside was so thick Harry couldn't even see the forbidden forest from Gryffindor tower. The world seemed fuzzy and out of focus, even after he'd put his glasses on.

He sleepily made his way down to the common room, it didn't seem like anyone in Gryffindor tower was awake. Not even Neville, who often rose early to help Hagrid out with planting and fertilizing the pumpkins in the patch outside his hut.

He wasn't particularly surprised to find Hermione, wearing a matching Gryffindor hat and scarf, waiting for him in the common room. He wasn't sure why but the bond seemed to have developed a lot quicker with Hermione than it had with him. She somehow always knew what Harry was up to, and always managed to pop up in time to stop Harry and Seamus pranking the Slytherins. He'd definitely felt her stir through the bond, but without focusing solely on her he'd never have known exactly where she was and what she was doing.

Hermione looked Harry up and down and frowned. "Harry, where's your broom?"

Harry groaned and took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe I forgot my broom. It's that Creevey kid's fault. He came upstairs and woke me up and then took a picture of me when I'd just woken up."

Hermione smiled fondly and pulled Harry into a hug. "Go down to the great hall and get us some toast. I'll collect your broom and meet you in the entrance hall in ten minutes."

"Thanks." Harry said, kissing her on the forehead. "You want marmalade, right?"

Hermione grinned. "You know I do."

Harry jogged to the portrait hole and climbed outside into the chilly hallway. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself and shivered as the portrait swung shut behind him. The hallway was completely deserted, although Harry could hear banging noises from some far off place in the castle where he assumed Peeves was causing mischief.

Harry rubbed his hands together and ran down the moving staircase in the direction of the portrait hole; he made it down the stairs in record time and skidded to a halt as he passed an old girls bathroom on the second floor where he and Seamus had once locked Draco Malfoy.

The banging, which Harry had heard from all the way up on the seventh floor, appeared to be coming from inside. Harry pushed the door open a crack and peered inside, what Harry saw rendered him completely gobsmacked. Peeves was swooping around the bathroom, cackling wildly and bombarding a poor, cowering house elf with everything he could lay his hands on.

"Peeves, what the hell are you doing?" Harry darted into the room and pulled a toilet seat from the poltergeists hands as he aimed it at the elves head.

"Potty!" Peeves turned to Harry, his face splitting into a manic grin. "Pot head Potter. What a coincidence, oh the fun we'll have." He turned to the elf. "Should I tell him or do you want to, elfy?"

Harry frowned and launched the toilet seat he was holding at Peeves' head, before running across the bathroom and lifting the elf to his feet.

"Ooh, Potty's getting angry. Well just wait 'till you hear what this little bugger's been up to, ooh, then you'll have reason to be angry, eh, Myrtle?"

The ghost of a bespectacled Hogwarts student floated from the nearest stall. "Get out! I don't want you here, Peeves." She wiped a ghostly tear from her cheek and sighed dramatically. "Oooh how I wish you'd just die."

Peeves chuckled and swooped down from where he was floating, flying straight through Myrtle's head diving at Harry and the elf and stopping just in front of them. "Moody moaning Myrtle heard everything, little elfy's up to no good. You should be thanking me, crackpot, for getting the nasty wee elf."

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Harry asked, glaring into the poltergeist's face.

Peeves cackled manically. "If you're not gonna ask me nicely, Potty, I'll just have to leave." He turned and flew from the room vanishing through the door.

Harry turned to the little elf. "What did Peeves mean when he said I'd be angry at you?"

The elf shuddered but didn't speak; instead, the ghost – Myrtle – answered, her face splitting into a wide grin. "Well, Peeves was in here bothering me, as usual, and the elf popped in. I don't think he's a school elf, he's not wearing the coat of arms. He asked Peeves to help him make you leave Hogwarts and Peeves refused."

"What?" Harry shouted, his voice echoing around the toilet, he glared from the elf to Myrtle.

"Hmm." Myrtle said nodding. "I was shocked too, Peeves never turns down a chance to cause havoc."

"Not that." Harry looked down at the elf. "Why would you want me out of Hogwarts?"

"He's a bad elf, that's why." Myrtle said her eyes glowing with delight. "A naughty, naughty elf, who betrays his master's orders."

The elf stood up and glared at Myrtle. "Dobby is not a bad elf, Dobby is only trying to help Harry Potter, _you_ is a bad ghost. You is a menace, my master is giving Dobby orders to watch over young master at Hogwarts, master is not telling Dobby to keep away from Harry Potter, Dobby is a good elf."

"Harry Potter isn't your master; you ought to keep your nose out of the business of students who you aren't bound to."

"Dobby is wanting to keep Harry Potter safe, Dobby is a good elf." The elf protested, his bat-like ears flapping madly.

Myrtle swooped down to the ground, coming face to face with the red faced little elf. "Don't be so ridiculous, no one here needs your help. Why don't you just go back to your master?"

Harry tuned out Myrtle's angry shouts; he could hear a strange clanking noise from the floor below him. Harry skirted around the arguing elf and ghost and made his way over to the sinks. He dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to the floor, straining his ears to catch another sound.

He looked up at the bickering pair and called over to them. "Be quiet for a minute, please."

Dobby and Myrtle looked over at Harry, stunned as though they'd just remember he was there.

"What-" Myrtle began, but was quickly shut up by Dobby throwing a tap through her stomach.

"Shh." If he weren't so small Harry would have found the little elf terrifying.

Harry smiled gratefully at him and put his ear back against the floor. The clanging had stopped but a strange fluid sound was coming from under the floor, almost like running water. Harry followed the noise as it moved away from the sinks and to the opposite wall.

"Stay there." He said to the other two as he leapt to his feet and darted out into the hallway, following the strange noises.

As he neared what he imagined to be the source of the noise there was a sudden hiss, like a gas leak and then Harry heard a strange voice through the wall. It sounded familiar; he couldn't remember ever hearing the voice but he'd definitely heard something familiar. It made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

"Hungry… so hungry… trapped for so long… need food… need blood… so very hungry."

Harry squinted into the darkness, looking for the person who was talking. "Hello? Who's there, where are you?"

"Massster?" The voice hissed, moving quickly away.

"Hello?" There was no answer. Harry jogged further down the corridor, still looking around for the source of the voice. "Hello, are you still there? Who are you? Can you still hear me?"

"Harry?"

Harry stopped dead, quickly pulling his wand from his robes and muttering, "Lumos." The tip of his wand flared with light, illuminating the person standing in front of him. "Hermione?"

"Harry, what're you doing? I came to find you as fast as I could, as soon as you left I started feeling some really strange things through the bond from you, and then I find you standing in the middle of a corridor hissing to yourself. It sounded like you were speaking Parseltongue again."

"What, Parseltongue? But I can only do that when I meet snakes, Sev said. If I start doing it at random times, how will I keep it a secret?"

"Well, what happened?" Hermione asked. "When you left Gryffindor tower I could just feel your grogginess and then I got a spike of curiosity, after that you're emotions were just a mess, confusion, anger, fear, shock."

Harry blinked and took his broom from Hermione, trying to work out what had just happened. "I… uh, when I walked past that bathroom on the second floor, the one me and Seamus like to use for pranks, I heard a load of banging from inside. When I opened the door I saw Peeves having a fight with a house elf, Dobby, then Myrtle appeared and they all started arguing about making me leave school. Peeves left and then I heard a banging noise from under the ground, I followed it and heard the walls speaking to me about being hungry."

Hermione stared at Harry, stunned, and frowned slightly. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming? You were still half asleep when you left the common room."

Harry shook his head fervently. "No, look the elf is still in here." Harry grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled her after him, back to Myrtle's haunted bathroom. "Aha! See, Hermione I told you."

Harry pointed at the tiny house elf that stood, frozen, in exactly the same place as he was when Harry left. "Dobby, why did you want me to leave Hogwarts?"

The elf grabbed his ears and pulled them down so that he was covering his eyes. "Bad things is happening, sir, Dobby is only wanting to keep Harry Potter safe, you should take your Grange and leave, go back to the Muggles Harry Potter, sir, there is no danger there."

"What?" Hermione gasped, kneeling down so that she could look Dobby in the eyes. "Dobby, what do you mean? Why is Harry in danger?"

"Not just Harry Potter, Miss, everyone is in danger but Harry Potter is in the greatest of dangers, he must go home. You is needing to keep him safe, you is going to be a target too, miss."

"Yeah, but what am I going to be targeted by?" Harry asked, frustrated. "Why won't you just tell me?"

"Dobby is not supposed to tell, Harry Potter." The elf twisted his ears, which he was still holding in his hand. "You is needing to go right now, Harry Potter."

"I can't, Dobby, I have friends here, I can't just leave. If you tell me what the danger is I can tell someone else and they can help sort it out." Harry said, trying to pry Dobby's ears out of his grip. "Stop doing that, don't twist your ears around, you'll hurt yourself."

"Dobby is not telling anything else, Harry Potter, sir." The elf let go of his ears and took a step backwards. Harry realized what he was about to do a second too late and reached out to grab the elf as he vanished into thin air.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"I have mud in places I didn't know I even had." Harry complained as he and Hermione made their way up to the castle after Quidditch practice. "My arms ache as well, and my head hurts."

Hermione rolled her eyes, trying to stifle a small giggle. "You have to admit that when you fell off your broom, it _was_ rather funny."

"Yeah, for you maybe." Harry said darkly, shaking his head and spraying Hermione with tiny droplets of muddy water. "I kept getting distracted; I can't stop thinking about that elf and the talking walls. Have you ever heard about the castle talking to anyone before?"

Hermione frowned. "There's nothing in _Hogwarts__,__A__H__istory_, but then again it's not the most comprehensive of books, we could have a look in the library, although, I doubt we'll find anything. I don't think it was the castle itself talking to you."

"Well, what could it have been? There was nothing else in the corridor." Harry said, pushing the castle door open and stepping into the entrance hall. "I don't think it was a ghost teasing me, they wouldn't have understood me speaking in Parseltongue."

"I don't think there's anyone in the whole school who could understand Parseltongue, that's why Severus wants you to keep it a secret." Hermione grabbed the sleeve of Harry's robes and steered him towards the great hall. "Let's go get some lunch, since _someone _forgot to get us toast."

Harry grinned, unabashed. "You know I can feel your belly rumbling through the bond, how do you do that?"

Hermione looked around, lowering her voice. "I sent a letter to Professor Dumbledore in the holidays about the bond. He said you have weak mental shields, which means I can force feelings into your mind and I can access yours in return, you have to really concentrate to do it because the mental aspect of the bond is linked to shielding thoughts."

Harry blushed, horrified at what Hermione had just said. "You're kidding, why didn't you tell me?"

Hermione shrugged. "You didn't ask, and it doesn't matter. There's nothing you can do at it but work on the bond, which will slowly strengthen your shields and you're already doing that anyway."

"But still, Hermione, you're supposed to tell me these things. No secrets between bondmates remember?"

"Harry, it doesn't matter, you've got other things on your mind, there was no point adding any more."

Harry crossed his arms and frowned at Hermione before turning away from her and marching into the great hall, his wet shoes squelching with every step he made.

Seamus, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table talking to the Neville, turned around and grinned at Harry. "You look like a drowned rat, mate, surely Wood didn't make you practice in this, but judging by your expression-" He took a bite of the sandwich he was holding and Harry didn't catch any more of what he was saying.

"Shift over, I didn't get any breakfast." Harry sat down on the bench, between Seamus and a Gryffindor girl in Harry's year called Anna. Harry piled his plate high and began shovelling food into his mouth, telling Seamus and Neville everything that had happened to him.

"Well, you definitely had a more interesting morning than me, all I did was get up and read that Muggle book Hermione lent me, don't tell her I said this but it's actually not that bad." Seamus said, leaning away from Harry to avoid touching his wet robes.

"You feeling all right?" Harry asked, looking sharply at Seamus. "You never read in the morning."

"I'm fine; I just didn't have anything else to do. Ron and Dean were playing chess and Neville was…" Seamus paused and looked at Neville. "Where were you?"

"I was in the library with Ginny Weasley, I don't think she's well but she won't go see Madam Pomfrey." Neville said, looking down the table to where Ginny was sitting next to Hermione, scribbling furiously in a small black diary. "She's been quiet all morning."

Harry frowned and looked again at Ginny, it looked like Hermione was talking to her but Ginny appeared to not be listening. Harry rested his head in his hands and reached out to Hermione through the bond, now was his chance to prove her wrong about him having weak mental shields. He reached out a tentative mental hand to Hermione and tapped her, she looked around sharply and Harry felt the hand lose its grip, snapping back like an overstretched elastic band. His head hit the table with a loud _thun__k_ and Harry sat up, holding his head in his hands and trying to blink back tears of pain.

The Gryffindors sitting around him stared in shock and Harry blushed. "Must've, uh, dozed off, had an early Quidditch practice this morning."

Happy with Harry's feeble explanation everyone turned back to their meals, forgetting Harry and his strange behaviour.

"What was that?" Seamus asked. "You didn't fall asleep."

Neville nodded his head in agreement. "It looked like someone grabbed your head from behind and slammed it into the table." He glanced over to the Slytherin table, looking it up and down. "Did it feel like someone hexed you or something? I wouldn't put it past Malfoy, not after what you and Seamus did to him last week."

"Don't worry, it was nothing." Harry said, ignoring the strange feeling he was getting from Hermione through the bond, almost like a mixture of confusion and satisfaction. Harry scowled down the table at her and held up his hand in a rude hand gesture he was sure McGonagall would have told him off for if she'd noticed.

"What's going on?" Seamus asked, watching Harry in confusion. "You and Hermione never argue, you wouldn't just do _that_ for no reason."

"Don't worry, everything's fine; well, except me hearing voices in the wall and having a house elf trying to make me leave Hogwarts, but other than that, everything's fine."

"That'd only happen to you, mate. Everything interesting happens to you, I bet it's 'cause you're 'the chosen one'."

Harry shot a warning glare in Seamus' direction and looked around the hall. "_Shut up_, you're not supposed to talk about that here."

"Oh, right, yeah. Do you want to go down to the kitchens?"

Neville looked at Seamus in incredulity. "We're sitting _here_ eating lunch, why on earth would you want to go down to the kitchens?"

"I'm bored. We could try and persuade the elves to put some Laxative Potion in Snape's tea." Seamus rested his head against the table and sighed loudly.

"How about exploding potion?" Harry asked, smiling slightly. "I have some in my trunk, George sent me it in the holidays, he said I was obliged to pull a prank on my family."

Seamus snorted and shook his head. "Only you would keep something like exploding potion in your school trunk, Harry."

"I don't know Seamus, that's exactly what I imagine _you'd_ keep in your trunk." Neville said to Seamus.

"Ha!" Seamus laughed, "Everyone thinks so highly of me. So what's the plan, don't tell me you want to blow Snape's head off."

"No, the elves love us now, 'cause we spend so much time in the kitchens. We could persuade them to put it in some of the food, or maybe puddings." Harry stood up and shouldered his broom.

Seamus grinned and scrambled from the table to join Harry. "Right, well if we're gonna do that we'll have to practice it a bit, I bet the elves have some jelly they won't mind us exploding. You coming, Nev?"

"Coercing house elves. I bet that's against the rules, even before we start blowing up desert." Neville sighed and stood up.

"Good man." Seamus slapped Neville on the back. "We'll pop up to the dorms first, Harry needs to get out of those filthy robes."

"Oh, and _you're_ going to help him are you?" Neville raised his eyebrows.

"Neville!" Harry and Seamus said together, shocked.

"It had to be said and Ron wasn't here to do it." Neville said with a shrug as they made their way out of the great hall.

Twenty minutes later, a freshly showered Harry could be found sitting with Neville and Seamus in front of the fire in the kitchens. Harry used a fork to poke a hole in the base of a large purple jelly he was holding on a plate.

"Pour the potion into the hole." Harry commanded, holding the plate up so that Seamus could add a drop of the exploding potion.

Seamus nodded and uncorked the bottle, pouring the acid green liquid onto a spoon and dropping it into the desert. Harry snorted to himself at the look on Seamus's face; it looked like he was carrying out a surgical procedure.

Harry set the potion back on the ground, and then he and Seamus leant in to take a closer look. The jelly sat stationary on the floor, not even wobbling for five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds, a minute.

Harry sighed. "Well, what're we going to do now?"

"I don't know." Seamus said shrugging and leaning forward to prod the jelly with the end of the spoon. "I wonder why it didn't work."

"Uh… I wouldn't-" Neville, began but was cut off by a loud popping noise. He snorted with laughter as Harry and Seamus both got a face full of purple jelly.

Harry wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe and smiled. "Brilliant, but how do we stop it reacting so fast?"

"What about the freezing charm? If we freeze individual drops of potion all we have to do is wait until they melt and then, bang." Neville said, offering the other two boys tissues.

"That's not a bad idea, actually." Harry said, accepting the tissue and cleaning the jelly from his face.

"Yeah, but it's a fourth year charm." Seamus said. "We'll have to find someone to do it for us."

"I know just the person." Harry jumped to his feet, sighed and sat back down again. "Where's the Hufflepuff common room?"

Seamus shrugged, lying down on the floor in front of the fire. "I wouldn't know, everyone in Hufflepuff seems to really hate me."

"Not everyone," Harry said. "Just some of them; Ernie MacMillan seems to like you well enough, Justin and Zach don't like you because you accidentally burnt their hair off in Potions."

"It wasn't an accident, that's just what I told Snape."

Neville rolled his eyes. "Why on earth would you set their hair on fire?"

Seamus shrugged. "Boredom, I'm sure there was another reason but I just can't remember." Seamus closed his eyes and sighed. "So how are you going to get Diggory then?"

"How did you know I was going to ask Cedric to help?"

"You clearly trust Diggory, _a lot_; who else are you going to ask?" Seamus said.

Harry frowned at him, his voice sounded very strange but dismissed the thought as Neville nodded his head in agreement.

"You don't sound happy about that." Harry noted, crossing his legs and looking intently at his friend. "What's up?"

Seamus opened his eyes slightly and frowned. "The sky."

Harry paused and looked at his friend before sighing and standing up. "Fine, be like that."

He made his way across the kitchen to where a dozen elves were carving pumpkins for the Halloween feast. "Excuse me; you wouldn't be able to tell me how to get into the Hufflepuff common room would you?"

A small female elf turned around to face Harry, holding her small knife loosely in her hand. "Missy is not supposed to tell. Does master mind if Missy asks why he is wanting to get into the Hufflepuff room?"

"Uh… I wanted to ask my friend to come down to the kitchens for a bit."

"Missy will go find your friend, sir, you is needing to tell me his name and Missy will get him." Harry smiled, for some reason the elf looked really excited.

"Cedric, his name's Cedric Diggory."

"Missy will be going right away, sir." The elf bowed low to Harry and vanished with a small pop.

Harry turned and made his way back over to the fireplace where Seamus seemed to have fallen asleep and Neville was picking pieces of purple jelly out of his hair.

"An elf's offered to go get Cedric for us; we'll have this thing sorted in no time." Harry rubbed his hands together and sat down. "Has Seamus fallen asleep?"

"No." Seamus said, sitting up and flicking a piece of jelly from the sleeve of his robe. "I thought it was against school rules to use elves as messengers?"

Harry shrugged, shuffling closer to the fire. "She offered and how else would we get Cedric to come and help us? She wouldn't tell me how to get into the Hufflepuff common room."

"Did you really expect her to tell you?" Neville asked. "There _are_ rules about going into other common rooms."

"Yeah, but there's also rules about coming into the kitchens and exploding plates of blackcurrant jelly." Seamus said.

Neville frowned at Seamus. "Whose side are you actually on? You're just sitting there being annoying."

"I'm playing devil's advocate." Seamus said, shrugging.

"You're playing what? Is that some kind of game?" Harry asked.

Seamus snorted. "No, not really."

"So what is it?" Harry looked at Neville.

"It's just Seamus being irritating and contradictory." Neville said, smiling.

The small elf appeared next to Harry just as he was about thank Neville for answering his question. "Missy has delivered Master Harry Potter's message and Cedric Diggory is on his way." She bowed low, still holding the small knife and scuttled away to continue carving the pumpkins before Harry could even thank her.

Cedric arrived in the kitchens a short while later; he spotted Harry and the other two boys sitting by the fire and made his way over to them. He dropped his bag on the floor next to one of the tables and took a seat on the farthest bench from the door, facing outwards so he could speak to the three boys.

"So, which one of you sent the knife wielding elf after me?"

Harry laughed. "Sorry, she wasn't supposed to take the knife; she probably just forgot to put it down."

Cedric slid from the bench onto floor. "So what's wrong? The elf said it was important."

"Oh, right, yeah. Can you do a freezing charm?"

"Yeah, we did it with Flitwick at the start of the month. Why?"

Harry blushed and looked into the fire. "We're, uh, planning a last minute Halloween prank but we need a bit of a hand. None of us can do the spell we need, to make it work."

Cedric pursed his lips as thought trying to decide whether to help or not and leaned in closer. "I heard from Sprout herself that they're thinking of making me a prefect next year; helping you out isn't going to ruin my chances is it?"

Harry and Neville both shook their heads quickly. "No, we don't plan on getting caught but if we are I promise I won't tell anyone you helped." Harry said

Seamus made a noncommittal sound and Harry turned to face him, frowning. "Shay, you won't tell _will you_?" He said trying to sound threatening.

"And let him get all the credit? I think not."

Harry nodded, satisfied, and turned back to Cedric. "I have some exploding potion and we want to add it to the puddings for tonight's feast."

Cedric nodded, seemingly alarmed at two twelve year old boys like Harry and Seamus being in possession of explosives. "Hence the jelly?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "But the problem is we can't do it right because it explodes too quickly, we can't put the potion in the puddings before the feast because it would all blow up on the elves."

"Ah, so what do you need me for, then?" Cedric asked looking from Harry to Neville.

"We need someone to put a freezing charm on the potion, so that the puddings don't explode before they're supposed to." Neville said.

"And how will you make sure that the drops of potion melt when you want them to?" Cedric asked.

"Oh, that's easy. What we're going to do is ask the elves to put the exploding puddings next to the pumpkin candles. The pumpkins will be on the table already and they will be warm from the candles. When the elves send the puddings up the warmth in the candles will slowly melt the exploding stuff and then, _bang_, everyone covered in pudding." Harry said, clapping his hands together for emphasis as he said 'bang'.

Cedric nodded. "I'll do it, as long as you promise not to put any of the exploding pudding on the staff table."

"_What?_" Seamus asked, shocked. "That's like askin' us to leave out the Slytherin table."

Harry chewed his lip contemplatively and nodded. "Right, how about we only put one bowl of exploding pudding on the staff table?"

Cedric raised his eyebrow and Harry continued. "I know exactly where my… uh, S-Snape sits. I'll just put a small bowl of exploding trifle in front of him." He smiled pleadingly at his friend.

Neville and Cedric stared at Harry, wide-eyed, unsure of what to say to him. "Uh… Harry are you sure?" Neville asked frowning slightly. "He is…you know…"

Cedric looked at Neville, bewildered for a second before a look of comprehension passed over his face and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't think Snape will find that very funny."

Seamus grinned and rubbed his hands together, ignoring the other two. "Excellent plan, mate. A face full of trifle is exactly what Snape needs."

Harry nodded and leapt to his feet, pulling the small bottle back out of the pocket of his robes. "Come on, we best get started. I'll go and chat to that elf over by the puddings; I bet he'll be willing to help."

_OOOOO_

"_POTTER!_" Severus stood up, wiping trifle from his hair. Immediately, the Great Hall fell silent, hundreds of pudding covered faces turned to look at Harry who, along with Seamus, was trying with very little success to stop laughing.

Harry wiped a tear of mirth from under his eye and looked up at the staff table. "Professor?" He tried to keep his face straight but the look on Severus' face had him on the floor, clutching his stomach and laughing.

Severus marched down from the staff table, narrowly avoiding being hit by a late exploding chocolate cake.

"Potter, Finnegan, Weasley, my office, immediately." He turned and strode out of the Great Hall, trying his best to keep his dignity, despite the custard and cream dripping from his long nose.

Ron frowned baffled. "Does he want me to go to his office, or one of them?" He gestured to the twins who were wiping chocolate mousse from their faces.

"Probably you." Harry said.

Seamus stood up and grinned at Neville. "You jammy git, I can't believe he didn't ask you to come."

Neville shrugged, looking guilty and Harry patted him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, mate, if you don't stop looking so guilty you're gonna get caught."

Harry could feel everyone's eyes on him as he walked from the great hall. Across the room he met the eyes of a very worried looking Cedric; he smiled almost imperceptibly and nodded his head, and relief washed over the older boy's face as he smiled gratefully back. Harry put his hands in his pocket and held his head high, pretending that he wasn't bothered by everyone looking at him.

When they reached Severus's office Harry swept into the room, taking a seat in front of the desk, directly opposite his uncle. Severus ground his teeth at Harry's brazen attitude but said nothing. Harry had to stifle a laugh at the sight of his uncle, sitting behind his desk with pudding still dripping from his already greasy hair. "So, _Professor_, you wanted us to come see you?"

Harry heard his two friends sit in the two seats either side of him as Severus began to speak. "This is the fifth time in three weeks I've had you three here in my office."

Harry nodded, trying not to laugh as a blob of jelly rolled from his uncle's hair, landing with a loud splat on the desk. Seamus, it seemed, didn't have the same level of self control as Harry and he heard him sneeze loudly to cover up a fit of giggles.

Severus glared at Seamus and Ron leant forward tentatively. "I didn't do anything, Professor."

"Do you think me a fool, Weasley?" Severus asked and Ron quickly shook his head, not daring to answer. "Then why, may I ask, do you think I would believe that? I know you three are the culprits, so do not try to pretend otherwise."

Harry frowned at his uncle, hoping desperately that the expression on his face didn't betray him. "Why would you think that, Professor?"

"You may be able to fool everyone else, Potter, but you can't feign innocence with me."

"But you can't even prove it was us. Just because we laughed doesn't mean we did it, plenty of other people laughed and you don't even have any reason to suspect us." Harry said.

"I could make these assumptions just from your school records, Mr. Potter; however, I do have reason to believe it was you."

"Yeah, what reason?" Harry asked, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to behave that Severus was his teacher and not his uncle.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Watch your tone, Mr. Potter." Harry blushed and Severus continued. "You were not in the Gryffindor common room this afternoon, were you?"

"No, but-" Seamus began.

"You left the great hall after lunch and were not seen again until dinner. Can you explain this to me?"

"I was with my sister." Ron argued, at the same time as Harry said,

"Just because you didn't see us it didn't mean we were up to no good."

Seamus snorted. "'Up to no good', you sound like a Professor."

Harry punched Seamus in the arm and turned back to Severus. "You can't blame us just because you happened to not see us, I bet you didn't see plenty of people and you're not blaming them."

Severus's nostrils flared and he stood up. "Finnegan, Weasley, outside now. You will not speak, you will not move, you will stand, with your faces to the wall whilst I speak to Potter, alone."

Ron and Seamus stood up and filed past Harry. Seamus smirked at his friend and returned the punch to the arm as he passed him and Ron smiled reassuringly, looking from Harry, to the door, and back again, as though trying to decide whether to disobey the Professor's orders or not.

Once the door had slammed shut behind the two boys Severus turned to Harry, still frowning. "Don't lie to me, Harry. I know you were responsible for what happened in the Great Hall."

Harry crossed his arms, frowning at his uncle. "And how would you know that?"

Severus sighed and sat down. "Hermione came to see me for afternoon tea today; we were discussing the incident with the elf and the two ghosts in the bathroom. I then asked how the bond was, and Hermione told me that at the moment she was feeling mischief and excitement from you. I asked her to see if she could see anything else, the bond seems to be developing far quicker on her end, and she had a sudden flash of your surroundings, she saw Mr. Finnegan and the school kitchens."

"_Weird_." Harry said, before pausing and glaring at Severus. "If Hermione saw me and Seamus through the bond, why would you assume Ron was there?"

"Mr. Weasley is a usual accomplice to your schemes."

"Come off it _Sev_, I can't believe you brought Ron in just 'cause you _thought_ he might be involved."

"And I can't believe you would cause so much chaos in the great hall merely on a whim. I am very disappointed in you. I'll be writing to your aunt and uncle tonight."

"That's not fair, you didn't write home when we made that giant sand pit in the charms corridor."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know it was you."

"Ah, bugger. I didn't really do it, I was joking." Harry said weakly.

"Language." Severus scolded, frowning at Harry.

"Right, yeah, well you're just annoyed because you're the only teacher that got puddinged."

"And why was that?"

"It shows we love you?" Harry offered shrugging slightly, Severus raised his eyebrow again and Harry grinned. "Seamus doesn't like you much."

"Hmm, I believe I could've worked that out for myself."

Harry snorted. "We didn't mean nothing by it."

Severus pursed his lips and drummed his fingers against the top of his desk. "I will be writing a letter to Mr. Finnegan's mother, your aunt and uncle, _and_ Mr. Weasley's parents."

"_Sev, _Ron wasn't-" Harry's protests were cut off by a series of screams from somewhere above. Severus glared at Harry and Harry raised his hands, palms up. "I didn't do anything."

Severus leapt to his feet and ran from the room, forgetting to tell Harry to stay in the office. Harry deciding that this meant he should follow Severus, jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor, and dived for the door before it had even begun to swing shut behind his uncle. He gestured for Seamus and Ron to follow him as he passed them in the corridor.

As they passed the Great Hall, Harry heard a quiet hissing sound similar to that which he'd heard outside Myrtle's bathroom. "_Hungry… sso very hungry. They promised blood… still sso very hungry."_

Harry stopped searching for the source of the noise, he turned and made to run in the direction of the strange voice, back the way he'd come.

"Harry, mate, where're you going?" Ron asked, reaching out and grabbing his friend around the wrist. "I thought we were off to find out who's screaming." Harry nodded and turned again to follow Ron and Seamus.

The screaming, it turned out had come from the just outside moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor. A large group of students were huddled around something Harry couldn't see and Severus appeared to be trying to push his way to the front of the group.

Malfoy, who was standing near the back of the group, turned smirking to Harry, Ron, and Seamus. "So you've heard the news? The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, you know what that means, Potter?"

Harry made to shove Malfoy out of the way as he tried to get a closer look.

"Not so fast, Potter. You haven't answered my question." Crabbe and Goyle appeared either side of Malfoy so that Harry couldn't get past.

"What the hell are you talking about, Malfoy? Get out of my way."

Malfoy took a step forward, still smirking. "You've never heard of the Chamber of Secrets? I can't say I'm surprised, what with your upbringing; I've heard Muggles share their houses with animals."

Ron took a step forward, glaring at the blonde haired boy. "Bugger off, Malfoy."

"Defending Potter are we, Weasley? I suppose you're hoping he'll invite you to stay with him in the holidays; _you_ wish your house was big enough to keep animals in don't you, Weasley."

Harry tried to push his way through, trying his best to ignore what Malfoy had said.

"You can't go yet, Potty, I haven't told you the best news." Malfoy drawled, still smiling.

Harry sighed. "Fine, Malfoy, tell me then bugger off; you're giving me a headache."

Malfoy rubbed his hands together gleefully and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Slytherin's monster had been released with the aim of purging the school."

"What the hell does that mean?" Seamus growled.

"It means, Finnegan, that the Mudbloods aren't safe anymore. The monster will kill them all, one by one until there are none left. After that, it'll go for the half-bloods and blood traitors." He sneered at the three boys in front of him. "Maybe I'll go find the heir of Slytherin and ask for a little favour. It'd be excellent if Granger-" Harry saw red and his fist connected with the side of Malfoy's face before he'd even finished speaking. He dived on the other boy and pushed him to the floor.

"You. Bloody. Well. Try. Malfoy." He said punctuating each word with a punch. "You even go near Hermione and I'll kill you, I'll bloody kill you."

There was a sharp pain in the back of Harry's head and his vision blurred and his eyes began to water. Crabbe or Goyle, he couldn't see which one, had punched him. Malfoy took the opportunity to hit Harry in the stomach, winding him and knocking him from his chest.

Malfoy rolled over and kneeled on Harry, punching him in the eye before pulling out his wand and pressing it to his throat. "Touch me again, Potter-"

"And what, Malfoy?" Harry couldn't understand why he was taunting Malfoy when the other boy was sitting on his chest with his wand pressed against his neck, but Harry was just so angry. He didn't know why but when Malfoy had threatened Hermione something in him had just snapped; of course, his attack would never be successful, although Malfoy was smaller than him he was always flanked on either side by Crabbe and Goyle. In fact, Harry was quite pleased that he'd managed to hit Malfoy so many times before one of the other boys had stopped him.

"I'll-" Harry never heard the rest of the threat as Malfoy was pulled off of him by a very angry looking Severus.

_OOOOO_

"Resorting to Muggle duelling, Harry. I thought better of you." Harry was back in Severus's office, sitting in the same chair he had been in earlier with Severus pacing in front of him. When he'd broken up the fight between Harry and Malfoy, Harry didn't think he'd ever seen his uncle so angry.

He'd dragged Harry and Draco back to his office, speaking only once, to tell Draco to stay outside whilst he spoke to Harry, alone. Inside the office, the expression on Severus's face had changed from one of anger to immense disappointment. Harry's stomach gave a jolt and he suddenly felt sick, he wished Severus would be angry at him, that he would shout and tell him off for getting into a fight with Malfoy; he would've even preferred his uncle to hex him rather than having him look down at him with such disappointment.

"Well, Harry, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Harry blinked and looked up at his uncle in surprise. "What?"

"Are you going to explain to me why you chose to settle your argument with Mr. Malfoy with your fists?"

Harry looked down at his hands, not wanting to look his uncle in the face. "He said Slytherin's monster would kill all of the Muggleborns."

"And so, instead of going to a teacher, you chose to take matters into your own hands?" Harry made the mistake of glancing up at his uncle and felt his stomach clench painfully, he immediately knew his uncle felt let down by him.

"Sev, I'm-" Severus held up his hand and silenced Harry.

"I don't want to hear apologies; I want to know _why_ you did it. Malfoy's childish taunts should not have driven you to such actions."

"He said he'd look for Slytherin's heir and ask for them to attack Hermione first. Looking back on it now I know he was just taunting me but when he said it, it was like I was possessed or something, even if I hadn't wanted to attack him I would have."

Severus cradled his head in his hand and sighed.

"Sev? Are you all right?" Until Severus looked up at him Harry thought he'd suddenly become very angry at him, his face was pale and his fists clenched.

He coughed into his fist and pursed his lips. "I should've realised."

"What?" Harry asked shocked.

"With regards to your punishment, I'll have to speak to Professor Dumbledore, I believe you're actions were heavily influenced by your bond. However, you will still be punished, your actions will not be tolerated whether or not you were in full control of your actions."

Harry nodded, unsure of what to say.

"For now we will forget the incident in the great hall, however I will still be writing a letter to your aunt and uncle, although I very much doubt Vernon will take any action." Severus scratched his chin and frowned. "You should have realized that Mr. Malfoy was merely trying to get a rise out of you. However, having said that I don't want you to leave Hermione alone anywhere in the school. If she needs to use the bathroom you will escort her there and wait outside." He sighed and rubbed his nose. "I suppose Finnegan, Longbottom, Thomas, and Weasley can also be trusted to be left with her."

"But Dean _could_ be Muggleborn too." Harry said, immediately accepting that Hermione would need to be watched.

"You can't leave them alone then, travel in a group. I do not truly believe that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, but I do think whoever is responsible for the attack on Filch's cat will not attack a group of students. I will give you until Christmas, Harry, if Hermione is alone at any point this term I will insist she is sent home until the problem with the Chamber of Secrets is resolved."

"What? You can't do that, Sev!"

"As both your uncle and your teacher I can and I will, even if I have to suspend Hermione."

"You can't, that's not fair. I don't want her to be attacked either, but you can't just get rid of her until the whole thing's over. If you send Hermione home you'll have to send me home too, I don't think the bond will work over such a long distance, it could really hurt her."

"If that is what I have to do to keep the two of you safe I'll do it." Severus rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "I promised your aunt and Dumbledore I'd do everything in my power to keep you safe. You're like a son to me, Harry, and after what happened with your mother I don't think I'd be able to survive losing you. I'll not take a risk like that with your lives; if I could I'd send you home right now I would."

"Well what about everyone else, Dean and Creevey, they're in danger too?"

"Without sounding too callous, Harry, I don't care about them. They may be my students but I don't teach because I like children." Severus said, standing up and making his way around the desk.

Harry felt a strange twinge in his stomach, he wasn't happy with how his uncle behaved towards the other students but he was too relieved that Severus wanted to protect Hermione so much to say anything as Severus pulled him into a tight hug.

"Neither you nor your friends will receive punishment for the incident in the Great Hall; however, both you and Mr. Malfoy will be severely punished for your fight. Professor McGonagall will be dealing with Misters Finnegan, Weasley, Crabbe, and Goyle for their parts in the fight and I will be discussing your punishment with Professor Dumbledore tonight, expect an owl tomorrow morning. I will also be calling a meeting with you Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey to discuss the recent developments with your bond. I want you to return to your dormitory; do not take any detours, not even to the hospital wing. As part of your punishment, neither you nor Mr. Malfoy will be allowed access to bruise removal potion, so you may want to put something cold on your eye when you return to Gryffindor tower."

Severus dismissed Harry from his office and Harry couldn't help but smiled as he passed Malfoy in the corridor. Despite the fact that he was supposed to be punished, he did kind of deserve it anyway, Severus had just pretty much given his word that he would keep Hermione safe which was a weight off of his mind. The bond seemed to be developing at a brilliant rate which meant there was less chance that anything would go wrong with that. Harry couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed about the black eye he would be stuck with; Malfoy had a fat lip as well as a black eye.

Harry rubbed his head where he felt a lump forming and sighed. Malfoy had deserved everything he'd got and yet Harry still felt guilty, maybe it was the way Severus had looked at him when he'd entered the office or the fear he'd seen in Malfoy's eyes when he'd punched him. The thought that he'd caused someone to fear him made him feel physically sick, no matter how much he hated Malfoy he didn't want him to be afraid of him, that'd make him as bad as Voldemort.

_OOOOO_

_Mr. Potter,_

_As punishment for your show of __M__uggle duelling on the night of the 31__st__ October you will be required to submit a__n__ essay to Professor McGonagall on what you have done wrong, why you did it__,__ and how the situation could have been avoided. You will also serve detention with Mr. Filch every Sunday from 1pm to 4pm until the Christmas holidays._

_I have arranged a meeting for you and Miss Granger for Sunday the 8__th__November__ at 2pm__,__ attendance is mandatory and you are not to tell anyone else of this meeting._

_Yours__,_

_Professor Snape._

Harry sighed as he stuffed the parchment into his school bag. He'd definitely got off lightly with his punishments and Severus had even arranged his meeting with Dumbledore for a Sunday so he'd get to miss a detention, but that didn't change the fact that he had detentions with Malfoy and Filch every Sunday. That, of course, would be a living hell for Harry as Filch already disliked Harry for the chaos he, Seamus, and the Weasley twins caused and he'd been ten times worse since Mrs. Norris had been petrified.

"I've got the date for my detentions and our meeting with Dumbledore." Harry whispered into Hermione's ear as they crossed the Great Hall. "First one is today, when I'm in detention I want you to stay with Sev, one of my dorm mates, or Cedric. And you've got to keep this with you at all times." Harry handed his invisibility cloak to her as they exited the hall and made their way up the moving staircase.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_Dud,_

_Just a quick note this time__;__ apparently__,__ I still have to go to the last part of my detention even though I've just had a meeting with the __h__eadmaster! _

_Anyway__,__ Dumbledore said that the you-know-what is developing very well. Hermione can even get flashes inside my head if she wants__,__ which I suppose is great for the you-know-what but not for me, now I'll never have any privacy. Hermione is apparently quite good at this __Occlumency __thing (something to do with brain shields, like a magic helmet). Hermione's helmet is really strong but mine's like a woolly hat (not a good one either, a really thin__,__ old__,__ worn one, with holes in __it__) so I can't force stuff into Hermione's head and I can't keep stuff secret like she can. How rubbish is that? Stuff should be equal when it comes to you-know-whats and stuff like that, it's not like we have any secrets, I mean we all used to go swimming in the sea naked as kids, it's not like she's got any secrets worth hiding from me. _

_The detentions are still hell, Filch is in a terrible mood and it's a massive struggle trying to not hex Malfoy in detentions. I've got to go now; I need to find someone to stay with Hermione whilst I'm in detention and then I'm off for dinner with Hag__ri__d (He's not that great at cooking but he's a nice bloke__,__ so we're trying to spend as much time as possible with him so he's not lonely)._

_See you soon,_

_From Harry._

_OOOOO_

_Dudley,_

_In response to your previous letter__,__ as I've told you in several letters__,__ my answer is no, I don't have a clue why Harry attacked Malfoy like that. Apparently__,__ Malfoy had been teasing Harry about the Chamber of Secrets being opened, he said something about trying to get me attacked and Harry just snapped. I wasn't near them when Harry jumped on Malfoy. He was feeling a huge amount of anger before he attacked Malfoy, in fact__,__ I don't think Harry's ever been angrier. It was almost like someone had thrown a massive rock into a still lake, the metaphorical ripples from Harry's anger even affected me__;__ that's never happened before__,__ it was a strange feeling, hard to describe__,__ although__,__ I don't think there are many ways to describe second hand anger. I was in a rather good mood up until then._

_I can't believe you __actually__ agree with Harry about the __c__hamber thing. I really don't think I'm in that much danger. Do you know what it's like having someone following you every minute of the day? Half the school think Seamus Finnegan has a crush on me__,__ and the other half think I'm cheating on Harry with Cedric Diggory__;__ I'm not even going out with Harry so why would I cheat in him with Cedric? At least Ginny agrees with me, she hexed Ron the other day for following her around (the Weasleys have decided that even though Ginny is a Pureblood they should keep an eye on her any way)._

_Harry's still hating his detentions but not nearly as much as Lockhart's lessons, Lockhart keeps making Harry stand up in front of the class and act out parts of his books__;__ the problem is Harry's often so embarrassed that I blush too so I can't enjoy the performance nearly as much as I'd like to. _

_We nearly got caught making that potion I told you about. Seamus, the idiot, decided we could just do it in their bedroom__,__ but__,__ unfortunately__,__ Colin Creevey keeps coming up to find Harry. Colin was nearly in the room when Ron realised and put a sheet over the cauldron. The bed sheet set on fire and the burnt cotton got into the potion and now we need to start again__;__ this time I've suggested Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Although__,__ I'm not sure it matters much now since Colin was petrified by Slytherin's monster. Harry pretended he didn't like him but he's upset, not as upset as Ginny Weasley who cried for hours when she found out, they're quite good friends I think. _

_Anyway I'm sure Harry told you all about the __B__ludger incident. Colin got a picture of Harry with that massive black eye and without any bones in his arm, he even had it developed before he was petrified, so I'll send you a copy when I've found a good duplication charm. I'm not sure if Harry told you but the elf, __the one who__ made the __B__ludger attack him, told him that the __C__hamber of __S__ecrets has been opened before. So Dean's suggested that next week we start going through old copies of the Daily Prophet to find out what year it was opened and if the person who did it was caught. _

_I'll have to go now, __D__uelling __C__lub starts today__,__ Harry's getting all stressy__,__ and the boys are worried we're going to be late._

_Missing you loads,_

_Lots of love,_

_Hermione._

"Are you done yet?" Harry asked as he hopped from Ron's bed to his own.

Harry and the other four boys were playing a game of their own invention which involved jumping from bed to bed, shouting at one another, and avoiding the stolen Quaffle they'd charmed to attack them.

Hermione sighed as she rolled up her letter and attached it to Dudley's owl, Smudge. "Come on, then." She called to the boys, dropping to the floor as soon as she stood up, to avoid being hit in the head by the Quaffle. It came at her again and she ducked under Harry's bed. "Dean Thomas, if you don't take that charm of that ball I'll hex you."

Harry landed on Dean's bed and jumped down onto the floor, laughing. "Don't worry, Hermione; it won't go for you again. We didn't charm it to attack you."

"I'm not coming out until you stop that thing." He heard Hermione shout from under the bed.

Harry chuckled again and shrugged at his friends. "If we want to go to Duelling Club we'll have to do as she says."

Dean nodded. "All right, I'll grab the pillowcase." He winced in pain as the Quaffle flew at him, colliding with his shoulder. "Agh, one of you catch that ball."

Ron jumped off of Seamus's bed and caught the Quaffle as it flew over Neville's head, the other boys cheered and whooped, patting Ron on the back and complimenting him on his great catch. Ron's ears turned pink and he ducked his head as he and Dean wrestled the ball into the pillowcase, knotted the top and hung it in the wardrobe.

"You can come out now." Seamus dropped to the floor and offered Hermione his hand. "It's safe."

Hermione crawled back into sight, her nosed wrinkled. "No wonder the elves avoid your room, Harry, how do you even have any socks to wear with them all crammed under there? Aunt Petunia would be horrified if she saw that."

"Don't worry, Hermione; I have plenty of socks, those ones are just my Quidditch socks." Harry said as they headed to the door.

"That explains the smell; although, it isn't even Christmas yet so I can't understand how so many would've accumulated." Hermione shook her head in disgust. "_Boys_… I'm glad you've not gotten so overly protective that I have to sleep in here."

"Hey!" Seamus said. "I keep all my clothes neat and tidy, don't lump us all together with him."

Neville nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just because Harry and Dean can't keep their things tidy, doesn't mean we're the same." Harry and Dean glared at Neville and he shrugged apologetically. "It's true, you two just can't put anything away."

"We have better things to do than tidy our things." Dean said.

"Yeah, and when all your stuff's on the floor you know where it all is." Harry said nodding his head in agreement.

"So what you're saying is that because the rest of us keep our things tidy we don't know where everything is?" Hermione asked, frowning. "That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Of course it does." Harry argued as the six Gryffindor second years entered the Great Hall and made their way through a crowd of students to the stage which had been put up next to one of the far walls. "If everything is on the floor then when you're looking for it you just have to look on the floor, it's simple really."

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Harry, you're such-"

Harry didn't find out what Hermione thought he was as she was cut off by a loud groan from Ron as Lockhart swept onto the stage wearing a set of ridiculous looking plum robes.

"What's he doing here?" Ron asked in a whisper, glaring up at Lockhart.

"Well, he _is _the defence professor." Harry said, unable to keep a straight face.

"How do you explain old Snapey, then?" Seamus asked, raising an eyebrow a glancing sideways at Harry as Severus walked onto the platform.

Harry shrugged. "Apparently he's good at defence."

"But why not Professor Flitwick?" Hermione asked. "I've heard he's an International Duelling Champion."

The boys shrugged as _Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!_

_"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works._

_"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"_

Harry grinned to himself and looked to his uncle to see his reaction. Severus was glaring fiercely at the defence professor, his lips curled and eyes shining angrily.

"Sev looks ready to kill Lockhart." Harry whispered in Hermione's ear, still grinning. "I wouldn't like to have a duel with him under normal circumstances but if he was looking at me like that..." Harry shivered.

Hermione smiled, still looking up at the stage as Lockhart started talking again. Harry ignored him, still watching his uncle, wondering if he would actually hex the defence professor.

Seamus leaned over to speak to Harry, voicing the question Harry had been asking himself. "Do you think Snape would dare hex Lockhart with all of us here?"

"No, he's head of Slytherin. He'll do something sneaky; he knows Lockhart's all about appearance, he'll try to humiliate him." Harry grinned. "Want to bet on it?"

"No chance, I'm not betting against you when it comes to Snape."

"What-"

Harry was cut off by Severus's sudden shout of. "Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart was thrown backwards off of the stage and into the wall. Harry winced slightly as Lockhart slid down the wall and into a crumpled heap on the floor of the Great Hall. The Slytherin's cheered and a lot of the female students gasped, glaring up at Severus.

Harry covered his mouth and snickered into his hand as Lockhart climbed unsteadily to his feet, straightened his robes and ran his fingers through his hair.

_"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"_

Harry watched Severus grind his teeth and glare at Lockhart, deciding that he'd definitely have to watch his behaviour around his uncle for the next couple of days, lest he be on the receiving end of Severus' wrath.

Lockhart said, _"Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me —"_

Severus followed Lockhart through the crowed, telling Lockhart when his pairings weren't going to work. "Harry," Lockhart said beaming down at him. "You can go with Miss Granger, I think."

Severus's eyes bulged and he stepped in front of Lockhart. "I don't think so… I think I remember the headmaster mentioning once that Potter and Granger have been friends for many years before coming to Hogwarts. It wouldn't be appropriate to partner such… good friends."

"Ah, yes I understand completely. We want the students to know what it's like to be in a proper duel; Malfoy perhaps, yes, Harry, you will be paired with Draco Malfoy."

Severus didn't have time to object before Lockhart grabbed Harry by the arm and steered him across the room to where Malfoy was standing with Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy smirked as Harry approached.

_"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"_

_Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other._

_"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to disarm them — we don't want any accidents — one… two… three —"_

Harry raised his wand but Malfoy acted first, before Lockhart had even counted to two, sending a jet of bright light at Harry. It felt like he'd been hit in the chest with a tonne of bricks, Harry gasped and staggered backwards, struggling for breath as he pointed his wand at Malfoy and shouted, "Rictusempra."

Malfoy jumped out of the way of the charm and into the way of the stinging hex Harry had just fired at him. From somewhere across the room, Lockhart shouted something to the students but Harry didn't hear, having just been hit by Malfoy's leg locker curse. Harry hissed in pain as he fell backwards, bumping his elbow on the stone floor.

"Incarcerous." Harry pointed his wand at Malfoy's legs, using the spell Voldemort had used on him and Hermione the previous year.

Malfoy somehow managed to stay upright as thick ropes wound their way around his legs. Harry flicked his wand, pulling the ropes tighter and Malfoy teetered, fighting to stay standing upright. Glaring down at Harry, Malfoy sent another hex at him and Harry blocked it using the shield charm he and Hermione had been learning since September. Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he fired a stinging hex at Harry, this time he wasn't quick enough with his shield and Harry felt a small welt rise on his arm.

Harry pointed his wand at Malfoy and muttered, "Incarcerous," again, this time aiming to wrap the rope around Malfoy's wand arm and torso.

His aim was too high and the rope, instead wrapped around the other boy's shoulders. Too focused on his duel, Harry didn't even realize the rest of the Great Hall had stopped practicing and were now watching him and Malfoy duel. Harry and Malfoy both shot stinging hexes at each other, both spells finding their targets.

Harry rolled to the side to avoid the tickling charm Malfoy had just fired at him, and pointed his wand down at his legs muttering, "Finite".

Harry was shocked to find that he suddenly regained feeling in his legs; he wasn't sure how he'd even known to cast the spell, having never used it before. He blinked down at his legs in surprise. The other boy, taking advantage of Harry's pause, pointed his wand down at him and shouted, "Flippendo."

Harry was pushed backwards, stopping only when he collided with someone's legs. Harry glanced around, seeing he'd knocked over Lockhart, and jumped to his feet not even bothering to offer the defence teacher a hand. "Expelliarmus." Again, Harry's spell went high, soaring above Malfoy's head.

Malfoy frowned and flicked his wand aggressively at Harry. "Serpensortia!"

A giant black snake flew from the end of Malfoy's wand, Harry wasn't sure what kind of snake it was but he knew that it was definitely dangerous. Suddenly aware of the crowd which had formed around him and Malfoy, Harry looked around wincing. He knew he could stop the snake but his uncle had told him not to use Parseltongue in front of anyone but his own family.

The snake hissed and reared back ready to strike. Harry used his shield charm to keep the snake from biting him and pushed it back, away from him, hoping desperately that someone would come and get rid of the snake. A look of panic crossed Malfoy's face as the snake turned to face him, raising itself up; he pointed his wand at the snake's head and shouted, "Flippendo.".

It slid across the floor and Harry heard Suzy Gunn and Lavender Brown, two Gryffindor girls in his year, scream. He turned to see where the snake had gone and saw it readying it's self to strike Dean. Harry's eyes widened in horror, and before he could even stop himself, he shouted at the snake. "Stop!"

The snake paused. "Don't attack him!" Harry ordered, taking a step towards the snake. "If you come over here I'll set you free in the mountains next time I go walking."

The snake's tongue flickered menacingly in Dean's direction before it dropped to the floor, slithering over to Harry and winding its way up Harry's legs. Harry patted it on the head as it wrapped around Harry's neck, resting its head, docile, on Harry's shoulder.

Harry grinned up at his friend, hoping to see relief on his face, but Dean just stared at Harry, wide-eyed and frightened. Feeling panicked, Harry looked to his other friends, hoping to see friendliness on at least one person's face. Only Hermione didn't look shocked, everyone else stood still, staring. Harry scanned the crowd trying to meet someone's eyes; Ron, Seamus, Neville, Cedric, Fred, George, Percy, and Wood all of them stood staring at Harry in shock. Feeling sick, he turned and ran as fast as he could from the great hall. He didn't have a clue what to do, he couldn't go back to the Gryffindor common room, that was out of the question, and Severus would be far too angry to talk to him now, Hagrid's was out of the question too, the half-giant had made his opinion on Slytherin's quite clear just the other day when he'd visited his hut.

Looking up as he passed the giant windows in the entrance hall, Harry made his decision when he saw the storm raging outside. He'd go up to the astronomy tower. He'd always been more of an outdoors person than Hermione, who preferred being inside with books, and Dudley who only liked exercise if it involved rugby or wrestling. Being outside was where he liked to be and Harry loved thunder storms, strangely he found them calming.

Hoping desperately that his friends wouldn't be so angry at him that they'd leave Hermione to walk back to the common room on her own, Harry made his way up the moving staircases. "We're going outside; you don't mind rain, do you?" Harry asked the snake, which was still wrapped around his neck.

"Sounds fine." It hissed in Harry's ear.

"Do you have a name?"

"Not that you would understand."

"Ah, all right well I'll call you Hiss then."

"Hiss?"

"It's how Parseltongue sounds to humans who can't speak it." Harry said, opening the door to the tower, grateful to see that there wasn't a class on.

He stepped out into the darkness, the rain immediately saturating his robes, and climbed up onto the parapet, letting his legs dangle over the edge. Despite the fear and worry he was feeling, Harry couldn't help but smile at the idea of Hermione being up there with him. She didn't particularly like rain and the idea of being hit by lightening had always been one of her fears. When they were younger Harry used to climb out of his bedroom window and up onto the roof of the Terrace to watch the storms. Hermione had always told him that if he wasn't carful he'd be killed; of course, her fear of heights had contributed somewhat.

Sighing, Harry looked down at Hiss. "Do you have any family? I've never spoken to anything that's been conjured before."

"When the white-haired human cast me from his wand I came into being, before that I was nothing, now I am a snake."

"But you said you have a name, did you name yourself?" Harry asked, frowning slightly at the snake.

"No, my name and instincts came into being with me. I know not to attack a Speaker, just as I knew how to attack the other humans."

"That's weird, I suppose you came from the same place as where vanished objects go, I always imagined it to be a big cluttered store room." Hiss's tongue flicked slightly and Harry assumed the snake was laughing. Harry sighed again and looked down at the ground, a few hundred metres below his feet. "I bet they all hate me now."

"Who hates you?" Hiss asked, slithering down Harry's body to take cover under Harry's robes.

Harry brushed his wet fringe out of his eyes. "My friends, I didn't tell them I could talk to snakes."

"Why would they hate you for that?"

Harry shrugged. "In the Wizarding World it's not considered a good thing; it's supposed to be a sign of a dark wizard."

The snake hissed angrily. "In my world, humans who can talk to snakes are honoured."

"The darkest wizard in the world at the moment can speak to snakes and so could his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. My uncle thinks people might assume I'm Slytherin's heir if they know I can talk to snakes." Harry swung his legs and sighed again.

"Salazar Slytherin was a great wizard." Hiss said and Harry got the distinct impression that Hiss was starting to like humans less and less.

"He might've been, but he had this thing called the Chamber of Secrets and in it he kept a monster. Slytherin's monster has been let loose by his heir, and a cat and a boy have been attacked."

"I don't know anything about that." Hiss said coiling tighter around Harry's middle. "You humans are concerned by trivial things. If your friends truly are your friends, then they would not judge you."

After watching the storm whip up waves on the turbulent lake for about half an hour, Harry slid off of the parapet and sat on the floor of the astronomy tower, his back resting against the door. Hiss was probably right about his friends but Harry couldn't get the image Dean's face out of his head, the way he had looked at him in fear. Harry was horrified by the very thought of it, he couldn't imagine anything worse than being feared.

Occasionally, thunder would roll across the school grounds, echoing from the mountains surrounding the school and the little village of Hogsmeade. No one came to find him; although, at one point, late in the night, Harry felt Hermione trying to gauge how he was feeling. Harry closed his eyes tight and tried to send a message back to Hermione, telling her he was fine and that she should stay in her dormitory. The bolts of lightning which split the sky didn't really resemble Harry's scar but Hermione had always said that it reminded her of him. Harry smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep, in the rain, sitting up against the wall with the giant snake wrapped around his middle.

_OOOOO_

Harry awoke cold and shivering. It was early Saturday morning but he wasn't sure what time, he didn't have his watch with him, and even if he did he was quite sure that it would've gotten so wet the night before that it wouldn't be working now anyway.

Harry pushed himself to his feet, his joints stiff from having spent the night propped up against the wall of the astronomy tower. He stretched and ran a hand through his hair, yawning. Birds were singing somewhere in the grounds and the Whomping Willow was swaying gently in a non-existent breeze. He found it surprising how the grounds were so quiet and calm now, after such a big storm the previous night, even the lake was still now, like a sheet of glossy black asphalt stretching far across the school grounds.

There was a chill in the air and Harry shivered as his breath misted in the air in front of him. A frost had set in overnight and Harry felt guilt coil in his stomach when he thought of how he'd kept Hiss out in the cold all night.

The water left on the ground after the storm, the night before, had frozen and Harry had to grab hold of the handle of the door, to stop himself from slipping over on the ice as he made his way back down from the astronomy tower.

_OOOOO_

Harry arrived back in his dormitory about half an hour after waking up, his robes were still slightly frosty, from spending the night out on the astronomy tower, and his ears steaming from the dose of pepper up potion he'd just gotten from Madam Pomfrey.

The moment he entered the dormitory, Seamus's head appeared through a gap in the curtains of his four poster bed. "Where the hell were you?" He demanded, standing up.

"Where do you think I spent the night, the Chamber of bloody Secrets?" Harry asked angrily, stripping down to his boxers and dumping his clothes in a heap on the floor.

Seamus flinched, Harry wasn't sure if it was because of Hiss, still wrapped around his torso, or what Harry had just said. "You know that's not what I think." Seamus said, his eyes softening slightly.

"Yeah, well you have a shitty way of showing it." Harry turned away from him, rummaging through his trunk for a clean set of robes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean." He pulled on his robes and emptied his school bag onto his bed adding several items to it and flinging it over his shoulder.

"No, I don't."

"Really, Seamus? So last night, when I saved Dean's life by asking Hiss not to attack, you don't think I did anything wrong? I _saved his life,_ and you all look at me like I'm bloody Voldemort incarnate!" Harry was shouting now, but he was too annoyed at Seamus to care. "You're supposed to be my friend, my best friend and you don't say anything, you didn't even come to see if I was all right."

"How was I supposed to find you, you just ran off without saying anything to anyone. What the hell is wrong with you? You're getting angry over nothing."

"I don't know what's wrong, maybe I'm just so tired from spending so much time down in the Chamber of Secrets ordering a monster to track down and kill my friends, or maybe, just maybe something bad happened last night and when I looked to my friends for support they looked at me like I was going to kill them. Haven't you thought about that?"

"You don't even know what you're talking about. Maybe if you'd just stayed for a fecking second instead of jumping to stupid conclusions and running off, you'd see that we were all just shocked."

Harry gritted his teeth and glared at Seamus. "Don't try and blame me for this."

"Well whose fault is it? I'm not the one who's been keeping secrets from every man and his dog. You just said yourself that I'm your best friend, and you didn't even tell me you could talk to snakes. Well, thanks, mate; it's great to know you trust me."

"I kept it a secret because I knew what everyone would think. Do you think I want a gift that links me to Voldemort? I'm not the heir of Slytherin, my mum was a Muggleborn; _Hermione's_ a Muggleborn."

Seamus looked liked Harry had just punched him. "That's what you think of us, is it? You talk to snakes and we just dump you because of what other people believe about Parselmouths? Obviously, you don't know us as well as you thought you did."

"I saw the way you all looked at me." Harry said, unable to understand why Seamus was making up so many excuses. "There was genuine fear in your eyes; I haven't seen anyone so afraid since Voldemort tried to cut Hermione in half with those ropes. Have you ever had anyone look at you like that, Seamus; you can pretend all you like, but you didn't see what I saw, everyone was bloody terrified." Harry laughed bitterly.

"And you didn't think we were afraid of the giant snake that had just tried to kill you, Malfoy, and Dean?"

Harry shook his head. "Snakes don't cause that much fear."

"Fine, if you want to think we hate you, then go ahead. I don't know why I'm even trying. You're a Parselmouth, fine; Hagrid's mum was a giant, Flitwick has a goblin for a grandfather, and my mum's cousin is a werewolf, so what?"

"Oh, so I should've just told you when I met you? Better yet I could've done it whilst I was getting sorted. 'Hi, I'm Harry Potter, I killed a dark wizard when I was a baby by some unknown means and I can speak to snakes, which, by the way, is the same skill Voldemort and a tonne of other dark wizards have had. Watch out Muggleborns, I'm probably gonna grow up to hate you since that's what people like me do'. Don't be stupid, Seamus, people wouldn't just accept that, they'd make judgements straight away, as if my life isn't bloody hard enough."

"I can't believe you actually think I would think that." Seamus shouted, outraged. "So you think I'm a judgemental bigot, is that it? I suppose that's why you haven't told any of us about 'Uncle Toby' either."

Harry felt suddenly sick. "How- _how-_" he couldn't get the words out.

Seamus laughed mirthlessly. "I heard you telling Cedric bloody Diggory, the boy you told the first time you ever met him. I was hoping you might tell me at some point, since I am your _best friend_."

"You hate Sev, don't you think that maybe that, along with the snake talking, would have been too much?"

"So you didn't tell me because you thought I would hate you?" Seamus glared. "You keep repeating that and it's not making anything better."

"Well it's true!" Harry protested. "And even if I'd wanted to I couldn't, no one can know what Sev means to me and Hermione, it was hard enough telling Neville and Cedric. I couldn't have too many people knowing."

"Neville? So all four of you were keeping it from us, or did Ron and Dean know too? And don't give me that shit about Snape not wanting me to know, he made no move to hide it from me when I let him out of his rooms that night you went after Quirrell."

Harry clenched his fists and walked to the wall, punching it as hard as he could he winced in pain and turned back to Seamus. "Think what you want but don't blame Nev, Dudley told him and I made him promise to keep it a secret and a similar thing happened with Hermione, it was more my secret and she also promised not to tell anyone."

Seamus glowered at Harry, looking more offended than anything else. Harry wished he'd punch him or something, waiting for Seamus to say something was making Harry's stomach hurt. Seamus clenched his fist and Harry winced in anticipation.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me? You're supposed to trust me, that's what friends do and so far you haven't been a very good friend. You assumed I'd hate you for being who you are. I don't like it that you didn't tell me, but what's worse is the reason why you didn't tell me. If I weren't so angry I'd be insulted."

Harry didn't know what to say, he would definitely have preferred a punch than what Seamus had just said. "Fine, you clearly don't understand the scale of what's going on." He said coolly, too annoyed at his friend to think of a proper answer. "If you'd prefer I move rooms, I can always sleep up on the astronomy tower again, you can tell me when I get back after dinner."

Harry turned on his heel and marched out of his dormitory, down the stairs, and into the common room. Though barely a quarter of the Gryffindors had turned up to Duelling Club, clearly the news of Harry being a Parselmouth had spread, as everyone stared at Harry as he passed. He tried to ignore the stares, but he could feel his cheeks warming as he quickened his pace to reach the portrait hole.

He left the kitchens twenty minutes later and when he reached the statue of the one eyed witch, with a much heavier rucksack, he saw Ginny Weasley. "Where're your brothers?" Harry asked, frowning. "You shouldn't be alone."

Ginny blushed and looked down at her feet. "I'm fine. I know you're not the heir of Slytherin."

"Thanks, that really means something to me." Harry patted Ginny fondly on the shoulder, smiling. He turned and tapped the hump of the statue and dropped his bag into the hole. "Tell your brothers I'm sorry I didn't tell them, and that Ron shouldn't hold what he heard this morning against Neville, Hermione, and Cedric."

Ginny opened her mouth to answer, but Harry had already pulled himself up into the tunnel. The hump slid shut behind Harry and he disappeared.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Neville traced a finger along the Gryffindor emblem, embroidered onto the pocket of his pyjama shirt, as he tried to block out the sounds on the other side of his hangings. After spending the night awake, worrying about Harry, with the other four boys they had finally retired to their beds at dawn.

He'd just gotten to sleep when he'd heard Harry shout at someone from inside the room. "_-bloody Voldemort incarnate_. _You're supposed to be my friend, my best friend and you don't say anything, you didn't even come to see if I was all right_."

Neville heard Seamus's angry reply and sighed; of course, who else would Harry be arguing with this early in the morning. Seamus was just a naturally argumentative person, and Neville was shocked to hear that it was Harry and not Seamus who was shouting.

He tugged at a thread that had come undone, telling himself over and over again not to get involved, Seamus was the most volatile of the group, if he got involved now Seamus could quite easily turn on him, especially if he sided with Harry. The thread came loose from the pyjama shirt and Neville ran it between his fingers; the argument had changed now, Seamus, it turned out, had known about Severus all along. Neville found he wasn't even surprised at this revelation, if he thought about it, the Irish boy had been dropping hints for months, trying to encourage Harry to confide in him.

Harry just seemed to be getting angrier and angrier, from where he was laying it really did sound like Harry believed everyone hated him. Of course Neville was nervous and insecure, everyone knew that but, Harry, he always put on a front. Holding his head high and pretending not to be bothered by the stares.

If Seamus just paused for a second and thought, maybe their argument would be going better. He knew how Harry felt; he himself had said to Neville only the other day that if he was in Harry's position he probably wouldn't be very trusting either.

As the argument raged, Neville wasn't sure whose side he'd take if he were out there with them. On one hand, Harry was very insecure and last night they'd all been terrified, Harry had seen that and misjudged the reason for them being scared. But on the other hand, Seamus was a very loyal boy, that much was obvious from the way he constantly defended his mother and friends, he sounded genuinely upset that Harry had kept such big secrets from him.

Neville sighed and pushed back his hangings as Seamus finally raised his voice. "- if I weren't so angry I'd be insulted."

He peered around the hangings at his friends as Harry's face paled, turning from a magnificent shade of puce in a second. He glared, stony-faced, at Seamus for a second before saying, "Fine, you clearly don't understand the scale of what's going on. If you'd prefer I move rooms, I can always sleep up on the astronomy tower again, you can tell me when I get back after dinner."

Harry then turned on his heel and marched from the room, one hand clenched into a fist and the other holding a rucksack. Seamus sighed and sank to his bed, cradling his head in his hands. Neville was quite sure he knew what Seamus was thinking, the same words were echoing around his own head, _'sleep up __o__n the astronomy tower again'_.

He slipped out of bed and padded across the room, taking a seat next to Seamus on the other boy's bed. "The astronomy tower?" Seamus didn't look up as he spoke.

"I know. What was he thinking; I'll write to Dudley in a bit and see if he can talk any sense into him." Neville sighed and put an arm around Seamus' shoulders.

"I just don't get it, why would he think that he couldn't trust me?" Seamus looked up at Neville, his face pink and eyebrows arched in confusion. "We've been friends for two years."

"You've got to remember what he's been through. He lost his parents when he was one and he was sent to live with muggles for ten years. And then he got a letter from Hogwarts and was dragged halfway across Britain to a school which is unlike anything he's ever seen before, where he's supposed to be some amazing wizard. Everyone expects so much of him, but they're all prepared to think the worst of him if he doesn't live up to their expectations. I know you and Hermione have been hiding copies of the Daily Prophet from him."

Neville felt the mattress sag on his other side. "You're right; he doesn't see himself as everyone else sees him. The only thing he thinks he's good at is Quidditch, and he only realized that after he beat Diggory to the snitch last year." Dean said as he pulled his legs up and yawned. "You can't be too hard on him Seamus. I mean, me and Ron aren't that happy about that Snape thing either, but you can't blame him for being afraid to tell us."

Ron nodded, climbing onto Seamus's bed. "I think Neville knows what Harry's going through more than any of us, you should listen to him, mate."

Seamus stood up and turned to face his friends, shaking his head. "I feel guilty as hell that he feels he had to sleep outside last night but that doesn't change the fact he lied to us, after what happened last year you'd think he'd trust us. Ron, you sacrificed yourself so Harry could stop Voldemort, he trusted you, Neville, to look after Ron when he could've been dying, and he got me and Dean to keep that dog away. We're all loyal to him; he should know we wouldn't judge him for being able to talk to snakes."

"We judge Slytherins all the time." Neville said sighing. "We're always saying they're evil and he tries to defend them and his uncle, but all of us have said Slytherins are evil at least once. If you had a gift that was considered to be a Slytherin gift what would you think if you came to school and all your friends told you Slytherins are evil?"

"So you think this is all about Slytherin versus Gryffindor?" Seamus asked, crossing his arms. "Harry knows we don't get along with a lot of other houses. I don't get along with most of Hufflepuff and I don't hate him for being friends with that berk Diggory."

Dean shook his head in confusion. "You're the most Hufflepuff person I know, loyal, dedicated and hard working. When Harry and Hermione were in the hospital wing you spent more time with them than me and Ron put together. You're stubborn too; a lot of Hufflepuffs are stubborn. If this was Avalon you'd be Lancelot and Harry would be Arthur, you're like his right hand man. Hermione's Guinevere, and me and Ron are Harry's knights."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "And Neville?"

Dean smiled. "Oh, that's easy, Neville's Merlin. Harry's the hero who leads us, but he wouldn't be able to do it without Neville. He's our mediator and the only one who can talk sense into you and Harry when you get those stupid ideas in your heads. Even Hermione can't do that 'cause Neville's a bit more lenient and sometimes when Hermione says don't do something you just get more determined, also Harry's brother said Neville was one of the strongest wizards he'd ever met."

Neville blushed, suddenly very interested in another loose thread he'd found on his shirt. "Don't be silly, Dean." He looked up at the others, all too conscious of his burning cheeks. "We should get dressed. If we nip down to the hospital wing now, we could get Harry a bottle of pepper up for when we find him and then we can all come back up here for a kip before dinner, I barely got a wink of sleep last night and I don't think any of you did either." Neville surveyed his friends, Ron's hair was sticking up in all directions, like Harry's did normally, as though he'd been tossing and turning all night. They all had dark circles under their eyes and couldn't stop yawning.

"Harry's already had some pepper up. His ears were steaming when he came in this morning; at first I thought he was just really angry." Seamus shook his head and nudged Ron and Dean off of his bed. "We'll just go straight to breakfast, I need a brew."

"It's so still out there, you wouldn't believe it was raining so much last night." Dean said as he passed the window on his way to his trunk.

"Nah, look up at the mountains. The clouds are coming in. I wouldn't be surprised if we had a couple of inches of snow by tea tonight, good job it's Sunday tomorrow." Ron said as he pulled on an extra jumper under his robes. "I bet its freezing out there."

Neville nodded, following Ron's lead and pulling on a set of thick, indigo, winter robes his grandmother had sent him the previous week. Dean and Seamus both pulled on Muggle winter clothes and they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, still yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes.

Whispers followed them as soon as they stepped into the Great Hall, everyone watched as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table.

"Harry gone down to the Chamber of Secrets to feed his pet?" Fred Weasley asked them solemnly as the four boys sat down at the table.

Percy took a seat between the twins, frowning disapprovingly. "You shouldn't joke about these things. I'm sure Harry's feeling quite sensitive about this after what happened last night."

George snorted and turned to Ron. "When you see him tell him mum wanted to know how he was feeling about what happened. She somehow found out and we got her owl this morning-"

"She's having kittens." Fred said, his voice turning high in imitation of his mother. "'Oh, that poor boy-"

"I wonder how he's doing; make sure you're extra nice to him, boys-"

"And none of your silly business, that's the last thing poor Harry needs."

"Well, I quite agree with mother, Harry needs his friends to show him support." Percy took his glasses off and looked sternly down at the four second year boys. "I assume you four will support Harry."

Neville nodded immediately. "Of course, being a Parselmouth doesn't change who Harry is." Seamus jumped to his feet and Neville stared at him incredulously. "Seamus, what are you doing?"

"I forgot Hermione; we left her on her own. Let me just go get her and then we can go look for Harry." He grabbed a stack of toast. "She likes marmalade right?" He asked, quickly spreading thick orange marmalade and lemon curd on the slices of toast. He grabbed a fistful of napkins and ran from the room, with the six Gryffindor boys still watching him.

"I can't believe we forgot Hermione." Neville said, sighing and turning to face his friends. "Did you forget Ginny?" He looked at the four Weasleys frowning.

"We came to a… mutual agreement that as long as she told us where she was going and when she would be back that we wouldn't be so overly protective." Percy said, stiffly putting his glasses on and standing up again.

Fred grinned as Percy walked away from the table. "She has something over him and we don't know what-"

George nodded. "All we know is that it was his turn to watch Ginny and he came back early-"

"Red faced and saying we didn't have to watch her anymore."

Ron frowned at his older brothers. "You're forgetting that she wouldn't stop hexing us every time one of us offered to escort her anywhere. The only ones she hasn't hexed yet are Harry, Neville and Dean; she even got Seamus with a good stinger."

"Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on her with a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs." George said, patting his younger brother roughly on the shoulder.

"Speak of the devil." Dean said as Ginny entered the Great Hall, scribbling furiously in a black, leather bound book.

She sat down on the edge of the bench and almost fell off of the end; Dean reached out and grabbed her by the sleeve of her robes, pulling her back onto the seat. She looked up, blinking in surprise. "Thanks."

"You all right, Ginny?" Ron asked, looking at his sister in concern. "You look a bit distracted."

Neville tapped his fingers on the table, looking around in the hopes of seeing Harry. He didn't have a clue where he could have gone, maybe the kitchens; he could ask Hermione or Cedric.

"I'm fine, Ron." She turned back to the diary before closing it and looking back up at her brother as though she'd only just noticed him. "Ron? Harry wanted me to tell you something…" She paused, deep in thought as though trying to remember something important. "Oh, that was it. He said he's sorry for not telling you and you shouldn't keep… no, you shouldn't hold his secret against Neville or Hermione."

Ron frowned. "Why did he ask you to tell me?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know, he was a bit distracted."

"Where did you see him?" Neville asked, turning in his seat so that he could look at Ginny.

"In the corridor. He saw me near the statue of the one eyed witch; he tapped her hump with his wand and climbed into a secret passageway. He had a bag with him."

Neville turned to face the twins so fast that his neck clicked. "Where does that passage lead?"

"Hogsmeade." Fred said straight away and George nodded.

"It's the easiest one to use, goes straight to Honeydukes."

"You don't think he's running away, do you?" Dean asked.

Neville felt suddenly sick. "I don't know, but we're going to have to go after him."

Ron and Dean nodded, jumping to their feet just a second after Neville. They set off at a sprint to the doors of the Great Hall; just before the doors, Neville tripped over the hem of his robes, sliding out of the hall on his stomach. There was a roar of laughter from inside the hall and Neville heard Malfoy shout something. He ducked his head down and jogged after the other two boys, still blushing.

They ran into Seamus and Hermione on the second floor. "Hermione, did Harry speak to you after he came back to the dormitory this morning?" Ron asked as Neville and Dean stopped to catch their breath.

"Why?" She asked, taking a bite of the toast Seamus had gotten for her.

"He's not in school anymore, Ginny saw him go down a passage to Hogsmeade. All he said was 'say sorry that I lied' and that we shouldn't be angry at you for him not telling us about your uncle." Dean said.

"You know about Severus?" She asked before sighing and shaking her head. "Of course you do. He's fine. He's just gone for a walk in the mountains around Hogsmeade, he likes to go walking when he's annoyed and he has been saying for a while that he wants to go back to that loch he and Seamus found in the mountains last summer."

Ron and Dean both seemed pacified by this explanation, but Neville felt his stomach squirm as he looked out of the window. "We'll have to go after him."

"What?" Hermione looked annoyed. "He wants to be alone."

Neville shook his head. "It's dangerous. If he had something we could use to contact him like that thing you have attached to your wall at home-"

"A fellytone." Ron said.

"Yes, if he had a portable fellytone then it would be all right, but he's up in the hills, alone, and a snow storm's coming in. I bet he's not prepared for snow." Neville continued, feeling increasingly more worried.

Seamus nodded. "You're right, but who's going to go? We could get there quicker if we went from Hogsmeade on a broom and we probably need at least three people to go but we can't leave Dean and Hermione here alone."

Dean crossed his arms and glared. "I don't need a guard twenty-four seven."

Neville ignored Dean; they'd had this argument plenty of times before. "Seamus, you know where the lake is and you're not bad at flying. I really do want to go, but I'm not good at flying or walking long distances, so I'm willing to stay here to look after Hermione."

"I don't need looking after and I'm the only one Harry doesn't think hates him, so maybe it's in your best interests for me to go." Hermione said, frowning at the boys. "I'm not going on a broom though, he's only got a twenty minute head start anyway and I have the cloak."

"Okay, we'll all go." Neville said, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose; somehow, Neville had been chosen as the unofficial leader in Harry's absence and he really didn't understand how Harry managed to keep them all from arguing whilst at the same time making decisions. "The passage leads into Honeydukes, it'll be open by the time we get there and we'll probably fit three people under the cloak at one time. I'm not leaving Hermione on her own or with Dean, not with that monster out there."

Dean opened his mouth to protest and Neville silenced him with the wave of a hand. "Me, Ron, and Dean will go through first, and then I'll come back through to collect Seamus and Hermione. First, we'll have to get some things together. We all need warm clothes and we should get something for Harry too, I think the elves will give us a flask of hot chocolate for him as well, I'm not sure that he'd remember to take food." He looked at Hermione. "When we've got some clothes together will you and Seamus go down to the kitchens and pick up food for everyone, you know what Harry likes best."

Neville was pleased to see the other four silently nod their heads, without complaint, as he turned and led them back up to Gryffindor tower. They entered the tower in silence and Hermione headed to her dormitory whilst the boys headed to theirs.

Neville pulled his school bag from his trunk and tipped the contents onto his bed. "We'll stick everything we need in here. Does Harry have a hat and scarf?" He asked, looking across the room to Seamus. "It'll be under his bed won't it?"

Seamus laughed. "Yeah, or stuffed at the bottom of his trunk. His aunt would have made sure he had one with him, especially after the snow we had last year."

Neville packed his own hat, scarf and gloves into his rucksack along with a long winter cloak. Harry, unlike most students brought up by Muggles wore both Wizard's robes and Muggle clothes on a weekend. "Seamus, I don't remember what Harry was wearing this morning, should I pack Harry a winter cloak or a Muggle jacket?"

Seamus paused for a moment whilst extracting his own Muggle coat from a stack of neatly folded clothes. "Winter cloak, I think. I saw a dark red one screwed up next to his bedside table the other day."

Neville nodded, wading through a heap of Harry's dirty clothes to find the cloak. "I've got it. Everyone got everything they need?"

"Yeah." Dean said, appearing from under his bed, clutching a West Ham scarf.

They headed back down to the common room where Hermione was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed. Neville thought she looked like she was meditating. She frowned and chewed her lower lip, her face going pink. Seamus strode across the room and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped as though someone had hit her with a stinging curse.

She sighed and gritted her teeth. "We'd best go look for Harry, it'll be difficult to find him if we set off too late."

Neville nodded as Hermione handed him Harry's invisibility cloak. "Okay. You two go straight down to the kitchens, and me, Ron, and Dean will head to Hogsmeade. I'll meet you at the statue in about half an hour, maybe a bit more." He led the other two boys to the portrait hole, stopping just outside and hitting himself on the head, rolling his eyes at his own idiocy. "Seamus, what do I say when I tap the witch's hump?"

Seamus smiled, helping Hermione through the portrait hole. "_Dissendium._"

The three boys made their way slowly down to the statue of the one eyed witch, Neville immensely happy that they didn't run into any teacher, all of whom, Neville was certain, would ask after Harry. Ron and Dean followed close behind Neville, slipping through the hole in the one eyed witch's hump first. Neville, being the largest of his friends had to suck in as he pulled himself through the gap, twisting and turning as he wriggled down the stone slide. Landing in a long, dirty passageway Neville brushed himself down and nodded his head in Ron and Dean's direction as they both lit their wands. "Good idea. Lumos." The tip of his wand flared bright and he gestured down the passage, leading his friends on.

Neville stumbled as he made his way down the winding passage, falling twice on the uneven floor, grateful that neither Ron nor Dean laughed at his clumsiness. After half an hour of walking, Neville tripped over a stone step, red-faced and panting he began to climb up the stairs, regretting offering to walk back down the passage, alone, to collect the others.

Bumping his head on the trap door, Neville gestured his friends forward, extracting Harry's invisibility cloak from his bag. They slipped under the cloak and slowly crept out into the Honeydukes cellar. They made their way up into the shop, luckily it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend and so the shop was empty but for the owner and a witch, buying sweets for the small boy clutching onto her arm. Neville winced as the bell over the door rang as he, Ron, and Dean slipped out into the village.

It had taken the three boys thirty minutes for them to reach Hogsmeade from the castle, during this time it had begun snowing and already it lay thick on the road and paths. "It's going to take over an hour to get back with Seamus and Hermione, what're you two going to do until then?"

Neither of them having been to Hogsmeade before, the other two boys shrugged, looking at one another for advice.

Neville smiled. "We have a house here but I don't think it's habitable at the moment, Gran has all of the elves working at the manor at the moment. I suppose you could visit the shrieking shack and if you get cold, there's always The Hog's Head, Gran's rather good friends with Aberforth, the owner, and he's still quite a dodgy bloke so I don't think he'll tell the school you were here, Fred and George recommended it too. It's just off the main street, you can't miss it, dingy little bar with dirty windows. How about we meet you there at one o'clock when I get back with Seamus and Hermione?"

_OOOOO_

It took Neville half an hour to make the return trip to Hogwarts alone, he couldn't say he really enjoyed it, and after the first ten minutes, he decided to walk in darkness as the light from his wand cast various shadows on the wall, making the experience a whole lot scarier.

When he, Hermione, and Seamus finally arrived back in Hogsmeade Neville was tired out, he couldn't remember a time when he'd had to walk so much, and the three inches of snow that had settled on the pavements made Neville want to cry as he thought about the walk up the hill to find Harry.

As they began the trek up the mountain, Neville resolved that he would definitely have to do something about his podgy belly. Even though he was the only one who'd just walked for almost two hours just to get everyone into Hogsmeade, he knew his friends were managing a lot better than he. Even Hermione, who he'd never seen do anything remotely physical, unless you counted lugging around the thick tomes she insisted on taking to all of her lessons with her, was near the front of the pack, using a clever little spell she'd learnt to melt the snow and make the track more passable.

By half past two, the snow was six inches deep and the five friends were tired and shivering, grateful that Ron had anticipated snow, and they'd had the chance to wrap up warm. Neville couldn't help but think of Harry as they climbed over yet another false horizon; maybe he'd seen the storm coming and had taken shelter in one of the caves. Seamus knew the path Harry would take and had made a point to thoroughly check each and every cave on the way to the loch.

Neville's legs were beginning to ache from walking up the hill when a dark shape appeared in the swirling snow ahead. His first thought was that a bear was coming to eat them and that they ought to hide immediately, a second later he blushed and chastised himself, '_Y__ou don't get bears in the highlands_.'

The shape came closer and Neville heard Seamus growl as he sent a snowball at it. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? We were worried sick!"

"Ow!" Neville realised the shape was Harry and felt himself beginning to smile again.

"You're the one who didn't want me in the castle." Harry shouted back in indignation, the core of an apple bounced off Seamus's head and Neville couldn't stop the relieved little laugh escape his mouth.

"Harry, are you all right?" He shouted cupping his hand over his mouth so that Harry could hear him better. "We brought your winter cloak and some food, Hermione even got you a flask of hot chocolate."

Harry didn't speak until he reached the group. He surveyed each of the four boys in turn before looking nervously down at his feet. "I'm sorry. I was thinking whilst I was on my walk and I really shouldn't have kept Sev and the snakes a secret from you all." He smiled weakly and looked at Seamus. "I shouldn't have shouted at you this morning, and it was wrong of me to assume you would judge me for being a Parselmouth and having Severus as my uncle."

Neville held his breath as Harry and Seamus stared each other down, not daring to say anything. He really wished Seamus wasn't so stubborn, Harry was quite clearly feeling guilty and Neville couldn't help but feel sad as Harry stared unblinkingly at Seamus. Even now, he was trying to stay strong, his eyes looked glassy, as though he were trying not to cry and Neville wanted more than anything to pull his friend into a hug.

Ever since the end of first year, when they'd learnt the prophecy from Dumbledore, Neville couldn't help but feel guilty. Harry didn't cope well with all the pressure that was suddenly on his shoulders, at least if it had been Neville his Gran would have done something to prepare him, Harry's family were muggles and so they would never fully understand the expectations the Wizarding world had for him. It was horrible enough seeing a friend go through what Harry had to go through but what made it ten times worse was the fact that if it had been Neville, Harry would have at least had a better life. Without being the 'chosen one' Harry had enough on his plate and Neville couldn't do anything to help, no matter how much he wanted to.

Seamus bent, picking up a handful of snow and dropping it on Harry's head. His eyes shined with mirth as he said, "We'll call it even at that."

Harry grinned, trying to reach down the back of his robes and get rid of the snow. "Thanks."

"Anytime, mate."

Hermione rolled her eyes, pulling both Harry and Seamus into a hug, rubbing snow from out of Harry's hair.

"Uh, Hermione, I know you're happy and everything, but its freezing. Can we get off this hill?" Ron asked, his lips turning blue.

Neville nodded and pulled his cloak tighter around himself. "We'll go back to that cave Seamus checked a mile back. We can warm up there and have something to eat before we set off back to the school." He looked to each of his friends, all of which seemed relieved at the prospect of having a short rest. "Harry I've got your cloak here. Seamus said you've already had a dose of pepper up today so if you get a cold you're stuck with it."

He took his bag off and held it whilst Seamus pulled out Harry's cloak, hat and scarf. Harry accepted them gratefully, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his robes.

"Thanks, Neville, I was starting to feel the cold a bit when I was up at the loch. I can't believe I didn't bring a coat, I should've seen the snow clouds."

Hermione glared at Harry disapprovingly. "You shouldn't have come out in the first place. You know you're not supposed to go walking alone, especially not on mountains and what makes it worse is the number of school rules you've broken. The mountains are out of bounds, even on Hogsmeade weekends. You know, normally I don't mind but in the middle of winter, _Harry, _are you even listening to me?"

Harry, Ron and Dean had begun walking down the hill in the direction of the nearest cave and Hermione was marching after them, glaring at Harry's back. As he climbed the stile over a dry stone wall, just down from the crest of the hill, Harry lurched forward, clutching his stomach.

Dean reached out to stop Harry falling backwards. "Harry, mate, are you all right?"

He nodded turning to glare at Hermione. "I'm fine; I just got a weird feeling, like someone punching me in the stomach."

Neville frowned looking around. "We're outside the Muggle repelling wards; there shouldn't be any ghosts around here."

"Stay alert lads and Hermione, there might be a rogue poltergeist somewhere around here." Seamus said briskly, jumping off of the top of the style and into a small mound of snow. Neville, Ron and Dean nodded, shivering and turning to look back up the hill.

_OOOOO_

It didn't take long for the six second years to reach the cave. Inside Hermione built a small fire for them and they shared out the food they had with them, it turned out Harry had at least thought to bring himself some food.

They arrived back in Hogsmeade at six o'clock that evening. They had spent the final hour of the hike walking huddled together for heat. The snow had gotten so thick that even Hermione's charm wasn't much use and so they'd waded through, the thought of warm food and a fire keeping them going.

Honeydukes was closed by the time they reached the village and, as Ron noted, they'd already missed dinner, so instead Harry and Neville offered to buy everyone dinner at the Hogs Head pub before finding somewhere to spend the night.

The Hogs Head wasn't a particularly nice pub, and Neville could see from the expression on Hermione's face that she was already regretting her decision to accept his offer. The windows were so dirty that from the inside all Neville could see through them was a white blur. It was dark inside but the six second years were relieved to see a merry little fire burning in the corner of the room.

Luckily, Neville thought as they entered the bar, Hagrid had decided to not brave the storm for a pint of ale down in the village. If he had, they would have most surely have been caught. There weren't many people in the pub, a man in a hood nursed a pint in a shady corner, and what looked like a vampire was sitting at the bar with a steel tankard of something Neville was glad he couldn't see.

The only other person in the bar, other than Aberforth, was a man sitting by the fire. His hair was light brown and flecked with grey and his robes were shabby; through a hole in his left shoe, Neville could see a long bony toe. The bell above the door jingled and the man looked up at the six entering students.

Neville felt his heart sink as recognition flashed in the man's tawny eyes and he opened his mouth. The man smiled and Neville was quite sure that it was something he didn't do often. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and quiet, and yet it carried across the dimly lit bar making all six students freeze in the doorway.

"Harry?" He sounded almost as though he didn't believe was he was seeing. He glanced up at the clock above the bar and frowned, a look of concern crossing his face. "Are you all right? Professor Snape just told me what happened last night."

* * *

**AN: Thanks to all who reviewed and added me to alerts and favourites. Also a big, big thanks to Bitch Goddess without whom you wouldn't know who was talking half the time as I seem to constantly forget to add tags.**

**WARNING: Slash, violence and character death in later chapters.**

**Thanks,**

**-beksta**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I don't mean to be rude, sir, but who are you?" Hermione asked, grabbing Harry by the hand and pulling him behind her.

Harry gritted his teeth, feeling Hermione's protectiveness wash over him through the bond. "_Hermione_, I'm supposed to be the one to protect you. Let go of my hand." He whispered in her ear so that the others couldn't hear.

Hermione squeezed his hand tighter and shook her head. "How sexist is that, I'm older than you so-"

"We don't have time for this argument now, just let go of my hand. The bloke seems nice anyway; he said he just spoke to Sev." Harry tried to tug his hand out of Hermione's vice-like grip but couldn't, he wiggled and twisted his hand, momentarily forgetting the man as he tried to pull his hand free. "Just, let go."

The man chuckled and took another step forward; Harry looked up, blushing, realizing how he must've looked to the man. "You're just like James; he wouldn't listen to reason, either."

"You- you knew my dad?" Harry asked, giving up his struggle against Hermione and letting their hands fall limply between them.

"We shared a dormitory for seven years so, we were rather good friends, yes." The man nodded taking another step forward, still looking as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Wait, were you one of the marauders?" Harry felt his heart beat pick up and he took a step backwards, narrowing his eyes. "You're not the one from prison, are you?"

The man looked down at the floor, the look of hurt which crossed his face when Harry stepped backwards changing to one of immense sadness. "No, I suppose you could say I'm the last marauder. My name is Remus Lupin."

"Then you're the werewolf, Moony." Harry said, taking a step forward.

Remus flinched when Harry said werewolf, but his eyes shined with nostalgia as Harry named him 'Moony'. "I haven't been called that in over eleven years." He said wistfully.

"That was your nickname, then?" Harry asked. "Why were you talking to my uncle? From the way he speaks about my dad's friends, I got the impression he hated all of you."

Remus nodded. "Please, come and sit down. You and your friends look freezing, don't tell me you snuck down from the castle in this weather."

Harry blushed, looking down at his feet, embarrassed at his own stupidity. "Not exactly, I got angry this morning and left the castle to go walk in the hills. When I was sneaking out of the school I ran into Ron's little sister." Harry gestured to Ron who had taken a seat and was warming his hands over the fire. "I gave a message to her that I was sorry for keeping secrets. She gave them the message but they, unlike me, anticipated the snow and set out on an unnecessary rescue mission and so now not only am I trapped here, but my friends are too."

Remus nodded and Harry couldn't help but think that he was a lot more accepting of their predicament than many other adults would be. "Well, you've done very well in choosing such loyal friends, it's exactly what your father and S-" Remus gulped and took a deep breath. "the others would have done for me. And I'm sure… well, I _know_ you're not the first students to try and get back to school only to find that Honeydukes is closed; although, I don't see why you couldn't use another passage."

"Other passages?" Seamus asked, frowning. "There's only one other one we can use, but Fred and George Weasley think Filch knows about that one; the others are all blocked."

"The one behind the mirror on the fourth floor?" Remus enquired.

"Caved in." Dean said with a shake of his head as he shifted to dry his soggy feet in front of the fire.

Neville nodded in agreement. "There's another one but someone's gone and built the Whomping Willow over it. Seamus thinks it's 'cause Dumbledore knows about it and doesn't want anyone to be able to get through."

Harry nodded. "You didn't tell us why you had a meeting with Professor Snape."

"I meet up with Severus every now and agains so that he can give me a monthly report on you." Remus's shoulders sagged and he stared into the fire, frowning. "I know it may appear that I never bothered to check up on you, but, Harry, I assure you not a day has passed that I have not thought about you and your parents." He looked up at Harry almost pleadingly. "Your parents could only name one marauder as your godfather, but James always said that if he could, he would have had Peter and I as your godparents too. Your mother wanted you to go to S- one of us if anything happened, but it just wasn't possible, the Ministry would never let a werewolf adopt, especially not the boy-who-lived."

"What?" Harry asked in outrage. "You mean that just because once a month you're not all that well the Ministry treats you different?"

Remus nodded, smiling slightly. "You sound just like you're father, despite him being a pureblood he never believed in any of the Wizarding prejudices, very much like the Weasley family." He nodded his head in Ron's direction. "You didn't introduce the rest of your friends, Harry."

Harry opened his mouth but Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "If you don't mind, Mr. Lupin, I would like to know why you never visited Harry. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have minded, she doesn't care about Severus coming over to the terrace and she's not prejudice against werewolves."

Remus nodded. "You must be Hermione; Severus has told me all about you. I couldn't visit Harry because the magical wards around your houses are put under enough strain with Severus visiting so often. It would take weeks for the wards to recover from a dark creature like me being inside them, I couldn't compromise your safety like that."

"You shouldn't call yourself that." Harry said, shaking his head in irritation. "Just 'cause you have a bit of an illness doesn't make you dark, you're still a human being."

"What about Snape?" Seamus asked. "Harry said he hated the marauders."

"We share an affable relationship. I do not call Severus my friend, and I believe the feeling is mutual but we have put aside the animosity we shared as children for Harry's benefit. Severus has been giving me updates on how Harry is since he first went to live with his aunt." Remus sighed and took a long drink of his butterbeer. He then stood up and made his way to the bar taking some coins from his pocket and placing them on the bar. He returned five minutes later with a tray of seven butterbeers and six warm beef sandwiches.

Harry felt his stomach squirm as he watched Remus make his way back over to them, the firelight casting strange shadows on his frayed and patched Wizard's robes. He handed each student a sandwich and butterbeer before sitting back down.

"Remus, I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but can you really afford to be buying us these?" Harry asked, trying to think of the best way to say what he wanted without sounding rude. "Me and Neville have money, I know my dad wouldn't approve if he knew you weren't particularly well off and we were accepting food from you."

Remus shook his head, the corners of his lips curling into a small smile. "Earlier I said you sound just like James, but now I'm starting to think you're more like your mother. I think I can afford to buy my best friend's son and his friends a meal, especially when you've been out in this weather all day. Lily would go ballistic if I didn't."

Harry took a bite of his sandwich, moaning in pleasure and taking another bite. He decided that when they left he would speak to Aberforth and see if he could give him some money, either for Remus's room tonight if he was staying in the village or a meal for the next time he visited the inn.

"So, Harry, how are you? Your uncle told me about the incident with the snake."

"Hiss?" Harry asked. "Oh, that reminds me." He unbuttoned the top of his robes and whispered in Parseltongue, "Do you want some food?"

Harry put his hand down the front of his robes and let the snake coil up his arm so that he could take him out.

Everyone around the table, except Hermione, stared in shock as Hiss uncoiled on the table and slithered over to the half-sandwich Harry had left on his plate. "I thought you were getting rid of that thing?" Seamus asked, frowning at the snake.

"I was going to set him free in the mountains, but it's too cold, he wouldn't go."

Hermione smiled affectionately at Harry as though he was a stupid puppy that had just learnt to sit. "He _is_ coldblooded; you'd expect a Parselmouth to know more about snakes."

"Why? I can just ask them what they want, can't I?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and patted him on the head. "Mr. Lupin, I'll accept your answer to my question, I can understand why you were not present for most of Harry's childhood, but I expect better of you now, I would like you to write to Harry as often as possible. It would be nice for Harry to hear about his father from someone who was friendly with him. Of course, I'll understand if you do not write during the week of the full moon."

Remus nodded looking at Hermione with undisguised respect. "Of course, Miss Granger, I don't know if Severus or Petunia have ever told you, but Lily and James would have absolutely adored you; I can see you really do have Harry's best interests in mind, he is very lucky to have you." Remus paused and smiled slightly. "Potter men are wildly impulsive and reckless, if Harry's anything like his father he'll definitely need you to stay around."

Hermione blushed and Harry could feel a mixture of pride and embarrassment coming through the bond from her.

"Now, Harry, you must introduce the rest of Hogwarts' new marauders."

_OOOOO_

Harry didn't wake up until three o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday. Having spent all of Friday night out on the astronomy tower and all of Saturday trudging through snow Harry had barely even managed to get to his dormitory after Remus had escorted them back to school at nine o'clock on Saturday night.

He woke up, spread out on the floor, having not been able to reach his bed before collapsing in exhaustion, between his and Ron's beds, a pile of socks, old robes and 'A History of Magic' as his pillow, and the cloak Neville had given him on the mountain as a makeshift blanket.

Despite the fact he couldn't have been comfortable sleeping as he did all night, Harry felt well rested albeit slightly lethargic. Straightening his skewed glasses and looking around the room Harry noted that neither Neville nor Dean had awoken yet.

He ran a hand through his hair feeling a pang of guilt. It had, of course, been his fault that his friends had had as little sleep as him and that they'd spent their weekend marching up mountains in arctic conditions. He made his way to the bathroom in the corner of the room and frowning to himself, he stripped down to his underwear, wondering for only a second where Hiss had gotten to.

He left the bathroom twenty minutes later, and after scribbling a quick note to Dean and Neville, he set off down to the common room in search of his friends; not seeing them there, Harry decided to head down to the kitchens for some food.

As he passed Lockhart's office on the second floor the blonde professor stuck his head out of the door, beaming.

"Harry! I was just about to come find you." Lockhart took Harry by the arm and led him down the corridor.

Harry trailed reluctantly behind the professor, desperately trying to think of an excuse to get away from him. He wasn't entirely certain where Lockhart was taking him, but from the look on the professor's face Harry was sure he didn't either. This idea was reinforced when Lockhart led him past the library and then back down the stairs, looking shocked when they passed his office again.

"Well, Harry, I understand you want to be famous." Harry was about to protest but didn't even manage to open his mouth before Lockhart ploughed on. "Now, I understand this is somewhat my fault. You used to be rather famous around here before I came, didn't you? So I have decided to give you some advice; you are, of course, one of my favourite students and I wouldn't want you falling foul. I suggest you choose other ways of drawing attention to yourself, my boy; that business with the snake was frightful… have you ever heard the expression 'Cutting off your face to spite your nose'?"

Harry opened his mouth, this time to explain to Lockhart that he'd got the expression wrong, but again, didn't get a chance to even get a word out. "What it means, Harry, is that doing certain things will bring you bad publicity, you should avoid doing this. Some people say all publicity is good publicity, but I assure you, you don't want people thinking you're the heir of Slytherin; that would completely ruin the image you've got going. At the moment, you're a bit of a poster child for the people opposing he-who-must-not-be-named, and it wouldn't look good if you started being associated with Slytherin. Normally, I wouldn't suggest this but I think that maybe you should try out signed photographs, maybe we could have a picture taken together and we could sign it together; that would definitely help you get properly famous. Now, Harry, if you don't mind I have some fan mail to reply to, I'll see you in lesson tomorrow and we can talk more about this photograph."

Harry bade goodbye to his teacher and turned to make his way back down the corridor, not bothering to remind the professor that they didn't have Defence on Mondays, and feeling slightly offended at Lockhart's assumption that he only saved Dean for attention. He was so annoyed and perplexed that he didn't even notice Pansy Parkinson who was standing just outside the professor's office.

Halfway down the corridor Harry stopped to try and locate Hermione, he really needed her to explain what Lockhart had meant; he'd ended the conversation as though Harry had been the one bothering him and he couldn't make any sense of why Lockhart would suggest for him to hand out signed photographs.

He located Hermione in the library and decided to momentarily forgo food so that he could find her and ensure that at least Ron or Seamus had been a better friend to her than he, and had made sure she that wasn't alone in the castle.

Harry bounded into the library ten minutes later where Hermione, Ron and Seamus were sitting together, and jumped into a seat next to Hermione and pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, I've been a terrible friend and I haven't spent nearly as much time worrying about you as I ought to have."

Hermione gave a short laugh and pulled away from Harry, running a hand through his hair. "You've got enough on your plate without worrying about me." She kissed him on the forehead and smiled sadly at him. "You're in for a troubling couple of months after that business with Justin, that's why we're here." She gestured to the mountain of old Daily Prophets and Harry frowned.

"What business with Justin? Do you mean that pompous Hufflepuff, the one who was going to go to the posh Muggle school."

"Eaton." Hermione said, nodding forlornly. "We heard about it this morning, he and Nick were found petrified."

"Nick? Not Nearly Headless Nick?" Harry asked stunned. "Ghosts don't get petrified."

"It was Nick, mate. He and Justin were found this morning and you wouldn't believe the number of people that have come over to ask where you were yesterday." Ron said, sighing and folding up the newspaper he was holding.

Seamus nodded. "Macmillan asked me what it was like sharing a dorm room with the next Dark Lord and then he said that I'd best keep a better eye on Hermione if I didn't want her to be the one attacked next." He let out a wry laugh and lowered his voice at a vicious glare from Madam Pince. "You wouldn't believe what he said before I hit him, though; he actually said that I really needed to stay close to Dean and Hermione since the psychos always go for those they're closest to."

Hermione glared at Seamus and turned to Harry. "I can see why you and him are such good friends, you both always have to resort to violence don't you? Seamus punched poor Ernie in the head."

"Don't glare at me like that!" Seamus said indignantly, barely remembering to keep his voice lowered. "Macmillan deserved it, the arrogant arse. I might be annoyed at Harry for lying, but I'm not going to stand there and let him have a go like that, I don't like those Hufflepuff lads at the best of times but they can't have a go about my mates and expect me to not do anything."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You're the most Hufflepuff person I know; even Neville isn't as Hufflepuff as you and he always said the hat should have put him in Hufflepuff."

"Well, maybe if those Hufflepuffs were more Hufflepuff, then I wouldn't be bothered, but they're not so I don't like them." Seamus said, picking up another newspaper and flicking through.

"That doesn't really make that much sense; anyway, you hate Ced and he's a pretty Hufflepuffish bloke." Harry pointed out, peering over Seamus's newspaper.

"Yeah, well, he can't expect everyone to like him, can he?" Seamus said. "He's not perfect like everyone seems to think he is. Yeah, he's an amazing keeper, gets allright grades, worked out all that stuff about your uncle _and _half of the girls in the school fancy him." He shot a dark look in Hermione's direction and continued. "But there's sommert off about him, I mean why would Mr. Perfect Hufflepuff fourth year want to hang around with a gang of second years? And sometime when I'm walking around the school after hours I see him sneaking about. Anyway, I didn't see him coming to find you after you spoke to that bloody snake at Duelling Club, what a great friend he is. I bet he's sat with all his Hufflepuff friends speculatin' about who Harry'll be attacking next."

"We didn't go look for Harry, either." Hermione pointed out, frowning disapprovingly at Seamus.

"Yeah, well, we were givin' him is space, weren't we?"

"How do you know Cedric wasn't doing the same?" She asked.

"You're all so quick to defend him, aren't you? I don't get it, Hermione, smart girl like you, you should be able to see there's sommert off about 'im."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, glaring across the table at Seamus. "You might be loyal like a Hufflepuff, but you hold a grudge like a Slytherin."

"Oh, that's low, Hermione. Comparin' me to a Slytherin, next you'll be callin' me mam a banshee."

"Don't be ridiculous, I would never do that. Aunt Petunia always says 'if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all' maybe you should take that advice." Hermione suggested.

Seamus sniffed disdainfully and turned the page of his newspaper, ignoring Hermione and scanning the page.

Harry sighed, turning to the mountain of newspapers in front of him. "Are these all the ones you haven't checked yet?"

Hermione nodded and picked up another paper. "From 1956, we're not checking them from before your parents were born because I think if the chamber had been opened recently more people would know about it, and Mr. Lupin would have said something last night."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the mention of Remus; although, he'd been absent for most of Harry's life, it was nice for him to get to know someone who was friends with his father. During their short meeting, Harry had also decided to call his father's friend by his nickname, it made him feel closer to the man, as though he'd always known him, which, of course, he sort of had. Remus's eyes had shone brightly when Harry had told him his decision. He had then told Harry that when he was a baby he'd always called his father's friends by their nicknames, although, apparently, at that age he'd not been able to pronounce them properly.

Hermione pursed her lips, trying to read Harry's expression. "Are you all right?" She asked, leaning in and whispering in Harry's ear. "I can't seem to get a read on your emotions; it's really hard to get through my mental shields into your mind."

Harry turned to her and let out a long breath, frowning at her in irritation. "Lucky for some, at least you don't get random bursts of emotions when you don't want them and mental kicks in the stomach. It's like one-way glass but not, none of my stuff gets through and all of yours does. You can't see into my bit, but I can't help but see into yours, and you're the only one who can do nasty tricks like mentally punching me and rolling your eyes at me through the bond."

"At least you have privacy." Hermione grumbled, turning the page of her paper.

Harry snorted, quickly pulling a paper over to him when Ron and Seamus looked up. "Just a stupid article." Ron and Seamus looked back at their papers and Harry turned back to Hermione. "What do you need to keep private from me? We don't have any secrets."

"Not yet, but who knows what will happen in the future. Remember when I accidentally fell into your head when you and Seamus were pulling that prank on Halloween? That hasn't happened since and the bond seems to have partially closed off on my end, but what if that starts again? As lovely as all your bodies may be I do not want to be getting flashes of the Gryffindor boys' showers after Quidditch practice."

Harry grinned. "I bet there's plenty of girls who would sell their wands to see Fred, George, and Oliver naked in the showers."

Hermione blushed pink and looked down at her newspaper. "Yes, well, it's an invasion of privacy and what happens if this starts going the other way?" Hermione's flush spread across her cheeks and down her neck and she continued. "I don't think the girls I share my dormitory with would appreciate it."

"Well, I don't think that's fair. How come you get to ogle my friends and I don't get to see anyone naked?" Harry asked, enjoying how Hermione's face turned a brighter shade of red.

"Harry." She admonished. "That's disgusting, you know I would never and you shouldn't even be considering it."

Harry laughed as Hermione became increasingly flustered. "I'm twelve, Hermione, what do you take me for?"

She flipped the page of her newspaper and added it to the pile of read ones. Harry flipped through the paper he had pulled in front of himself earlier, quickly realizing that it didn't have any information in it that would be of use. Although none of the papers Harry picked up had anything relating to the Chamber of Secrets he did find a rather interesting article in the eleventh paper he checked, announcing the appointment of Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster of Hogwarts.

_OOOOO_

_Harry, _

_A curious thing happened when I returned to The Hogs Head after escorting you back to school. I found that my bills had somehow been paid. Although I appreciate the gesture__,__ I really can't go accepting money from you. I know your parents set up a trust vault for you but that money is to last you until you are seventeen. I don't want you giving me money, Harry, especially not when it is I who should be buying things for you__;__ I have now missed eleven of your birthdays and so now owe you eleven years worth of Christmas and birthday gifts. And so I have enclosed the money I owe you with this letter._

_I was so pleased to see you the other day that I momentarily forgot myself. You're not James and I am no longer a child and so really shouldn't have been encouraging you to break the rules. Speaking as a friend of your mother, an adult, an ex prefect__,__ and one of your unofficial godfathers I feel I should urge you to not break school rules and to study hard. Despite this__,__ I can't help but feel Severus already does this, I have heard your grades are rather good__,__ and that your flying skills would do your father proud and so maybe you need a marauder to inject a bit of fun into your life. Unfortunately I am probably not the best one for this job, but as I am the only one__,__ I will try my hardest to help you have fun without blowing yourself up (as your father and the others almost did on many occasions)._

_I have written to Severus and informed him of Hermione's request and he agrees that you are of an age now where you may want to hear stories about your father. However__,__ he also says that I am not allowed to influence you in anyway, that means no marauder stories or aid with pranks. As I wrote above__,__ I have chosen to disregard this condition, if you wish me to, so long as Severus doesn't find out._

_It was lovely to see you again__,__ Harry__,__ and I enjoyed meeting your friends, they all seem very nice__.__A__lthough__,__ as a responsible adult__,__ I must ask__,__ do you really think Ron's older twin brothers are a good influence? But as a marauder__,__ I would love to meet them, they seem very interesting._

_Yours,_

_Remus Lupin._

xxxxx

_Moony,_

_Hello, Hermione was really pleased you chose to write__.__A__lthough__,__ I can't say she approved of the marauder lessons you were offering, but she promised not to tell my uncle__,__ which I suppose was a rather good thing because sometimes when she really does disapprove she tells on us' for our own good', and sometimes by accident__,__ like on Halloween._

_Do you think I could arrange for you to meet my __a__unt, other __u__ncle__,__ and __b__rother in the Christmas holidays__?__ I've written to Dudley about you and he really does want to see you. I'm going to stay with the Longbottoms for the last week of the holiday. You said the wards were a worry__,__ but if no one is going to be at the terrace does it matter? After Christmas no one will be in because Aunt Helen and Uncle Dave are off to a big dental thing in London, Hermione is off to stay with Ron, I'm off to Neville's__,__ and everyone else is off to see Aunt Marge._

_I'm not taking back the money you sent__, I__'ve sent it back with Hedwig, and you don't have to get me any presents. Me__,__ Seamus__,__ and Hermione were doing a bit of research about werewolves (one of Seamus'__s__ relatives is a werewolf) and we found out there's a load of really unfair laws__;__ like that you have to be registered and not many people want to give you jobs__.__I__t sounds horrible__,__ but Hermione said that when we get older and I can use my fame to influence the __M__inistry__,__ we'll fix i__t__ (It seems like the main culprit is this witch called Umbridge, maybe if we assassinate her? Hermione said this isn't viable__,__ but Ron agreed that we could give it a go when we're older__.__E__verything seems to be all about when we're older which is rubbish because it seems I can't do anything whilst I'm only twelve). _

_Anyway__,__ have you ever heard about the __C__hamber of __S__ecrets? I suppose my uncle told you all about it. There's a monster in the school and we're worried about Hermione and Dean__;__ it's supposed to go for __M__uggleborns and we reckon Malfoy might know something__,__ he was being horrible about it on Halloween (that's why I attacked him). Apparently__,__ it's been opened before so we've been looking through the back copies of the __D__aily __P__rophet in the library__;__ there's tonnes and so far we're up to 1949 and have found nothing except the announcement of my grandparent's weddings, they were rather old when my dad was born weren't they?_

_I'll see you soon; I hope you can meet my family. Fred and George said they want to meet you, apparently__,__ you're their role model now. Full moon soon, I hope it's not too bad; could you maybe get some wolfsbane potion? I know it's hard to make__,__ but maybe we could pay a potions master to make you i__t__ (That's another thing we're going to do when we're older, make sure that all people with the same illness as you can get hold of the potion.)__._

_See you._

_Harry._

* * *

**AN: Thanks to everyone who has read this story, in one week I've gotten over 500 unique visitors which is completely mental, I'd be over the moon about 100 which is still a huge figure so thanks everyone. Also big thanks to my beta Bitch Goddess.**

**-beksta**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Aagh."Harry yelled in pain as his brother dived on to his bed, landing on Harry's stomach.

Dudley grinned and grabbed hold of Harry's bedside table to stop himself from toppling over the other side of his brother's bed. "Happy Christmas, Harry. Get up so we can go wake everyone else."

Harry groaned and rolled over to look at his luminous bedside clock. "It's only six, go bother Hermione."

"She's already awake; she's gone to get Aunty Helen and Uncle David up."

Harry growled into his pillow before pushing himself up and glaring blearily at his brother. Harry pushed Dudley off of the edge of his bed and switched his lamp on. "Fine, but you're the one who gets to wake Sev up and if he hexes you don't blame me."

"Don't worry, I put an alarm clock under the bed in the spare room, it'll wake him up in a minute." Dudley said, grinning; Harry frowned at him in disappointment, it seemed that not even being pushed off Harry's bed would stop him being so irritatingly joyful.

"I was actually hoping he would hex you." Harry grumbled, shivering as he pulled back his bed sheets and clambered out of bed, pulling on his dressing gown and a pair of slippers. Wrapping the cord tightly around his middle, Harry allowed his brother to drag him out of his bedroom and out into the hallway.

They pushed open the door to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bedroom and Harry couldn't help but grin excitedly as the light from the hallway shone into the room. Aunt Petunia was, of course, feigning sleep, Harry was sure she'd been awake as soon as Dudley had exited his own bedroom, but, as she did every year, she was humouring the boys by pretending to be asleep. Uncle Vernon was snoring so loud that Harry had to wonder, as he did every year, how Aunt Petunia managed to sleep with him making so much noise.

"Wake up!" Dudley let go of Harry's hand and launched himself on to his parents' bed, landing on his father.

Uncle Vernon sat up, knocking Dudley off of him. He looked around, stunned, and spotted Dudley who had somehow become wedged between his father's arm and his bedside table.

"Mhrrfry Hrisma." Dudley said, his voice muffled against his father's back.

Harry grinned as his brother tried to pull himself up, his face glowing bright red. Harry made his way to the bed, climbing onto it and crawling up to where his brother and uncle had begun a wrestling match. "Merry Christmas."

Aunt Petunia rolled over and pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug, planting a kiss on his forehead. Harry looked up and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Aunt Tuney."

"Merry Christmas, my darlings." With surprising strength, she grabbed Dudley around the middle and pulled both boys into a hug, smiling sleepily at them.

The boys let her hug them for a few seconds before Dudley began to squirm, poking Harry in the side and causing him to roll out of his aunt's arms and into Uncle Vernon's chest. As Aunt Petunia had done just minutes before, he pulled Harry to him, but instead of hugging him, he began to tickle him. Harry squirmed and couldn't help but laugh as he tried to roll out of his uncle's reach.

Aunt Petunia sighed, quickly getting out of bed and pulling her dressing gown on so as not to be squashed when Harry, Dudley, and Vernon began tickling each other and rolling gleefully across the bed, chortling as they fought to get away from one another. She smiled fondly at them, enjoying how their bodies shook with unrestrained laughter, all three of them smiling and playing like carefree infants. Even Vernon looked childlike as he lifted the two boys up and pinned them both down with one arm, tickling their toes with the other.

Harry and Dudley grinned, meeting one another's eyes as they somehow managed to push Vernon off of them, climbing on top of him, Harry tickling the back of his uncle's knees, and Dudley his feet. Both boys froze as, from the next room, an alarm sounded, echoing down the hallway and into the room. Harry glared at Dudley, realizing that the noise was caused by the alarm Dudley had planted, waking his uncle in one of the spare bedrooms.

They jumped off Uncle Vernon's chest and ran out into the hallway, trying to find somewhere to hide before Severus emerged from the room. Harry groaned as the door to the spare bedroom next to Aunt Petunia's swung open and Severus marched out, his wand in one hand and a small red alarm clock in the other. Despite the menacing gleam in his Uncle's eyes Harry couldn't help but snigger slightly at Severus's pyjamas. Dudley had bought them for him the previous year, Harry didn't have a clue where he could have got them from; they were made from black silk with little luminous green bats embroidered up and down the trousers, and glittery silver spider webs on the shirtsleeves. Other than them being in Slytherin colours, Harry couldn't actually see anything about them that his uncle would like. Just thinking about what Ron, Seamus, and Dean would say if they could see Severus in his silk pyjamas had him doubled over, laughing.

Severus cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow and Harry immediately stopped laughing. "Looking good, Uncle Sev."

He glanced at Dudley who seemed immensely pleased that his uncle was using his Christmas gift. "If you like last year's Christmas present, then you're going to love this year's."

Harry stifled another laugh as Severus's eyebrow disappeared under his fringe. "Who was it that left this under my bed?"

Dudley blushed, trying to hide a smile. "I don't know, maybe you transfigured it in your sleep?"

Severus pursed his lips and pointed his wand at Dudley, who flinched, and the corner of Severus's lips twitched into a smile. "Aguamenti." A jet of clear and freezing water shot from the end of his wand.

Dudley blinked and wiped water from his face and hair. "Hey, that's not fair. It's Christmas."

"Yes, and I was hoping for a sleep in." Severus said.

"Then why on earth did you come here, then?" Harry asked, receiving a blast of cold water in the face. He narrowed his eyes at his uncle and chewed his lower lip. "You know, Sev, it's Christmas and everyone takes pictures on Christmas morning. Now all my friends know about you, I can show them all my Christmas pictures."

"How very Slytherin of you." Severus commented dryly as he stowed his wand in the top pocket of his pyjama shirt and set the clock on a bookcase, standing against the wall of Dudley's bedroom.

Uncle Vernon emerged from his bedroom, a thick arm wrapped around the waist of Aunt Petunia. "Good man, Sev, up nice and early, good to see you showing Christmas spirit." He clapped Severus on the shoulder causing the other man to stumble into the bookcase.

Harry snorted into the sleeve of his dressing gown and Severus shot him a look that only made him want to laugh more. "Come on, let's go down stairs, I bet Hermione's there already. They're going to open their presents without us." Dudley whined, grabbing Harry by the wrist again and dragging him down the stairs into the giant sitting room, Severus had removed the wall separating the Granger's and Dursely's living rooms when Harry had returned from Hogwarts so that they could all spend the entire holiday together.

Hermione and her parents were sitting on a sofa in their half of the living room. When they saw her, both Harry and Dudley launched themselves at Hermione, enveloping her in a giant hug. "Merry Christmas." Harry squeezed her tightly against his chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She smiled fondly at the two boys, giving them each a quick kiss on their cheeks and ruffling their hair. "You're crushing me."

Harry laughed and let go of her, standing up to wish his other aunt and uncle Merry Christmas, kissing Aunt Helen on the cheek and giving Uncle Dave a manly hug before returning to Hermione and wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Dudley lumbered back towards them, having also greeted his aunt and uncle and seeing that there was no space on the sofa Harry and Hermione was sharing, grinned, and lifted Hermione out of the chair and placed her on Harry's lap before taking her seat.

Harry didn't need to feel the spark of mischief through the bond or see the glint in her eye to know what Hermione was going to do next. She dived on Dudley, wrapping her arms around his leg and wrenching it upwards, holding onto his foot as she tickled the underside. Dudley howled with laughter and Harry, seeing the danger to Hermione, leapt onto his brother, kneeling on his other leg so that his flailing foot would not make contact with Hermione.

Dudley shrieked and wriggled under the other two, trying to escape Hermione's tickling hands, he fell from the sofa, all three of them landing in a heap on the floor. Dudley crawled away from them over to the giant Christmas tree.

Harry, Severus, Vernon, and Dudley had gone to choose it as soon as term had finished, and Aunt Helen and Aunt Petunia had spent the morning making a special feast. Once the boys and Severus had returned, the entire family had spent the day decorating the tree, Severus had charmed the little figures on the nativity to serenade them with Christmas carols, and Hermione and her father had made an angel figurine to go on top of the tree.

As Dudley pushed past the tree to get away from his brother and Hermione, the little angel teetered precariously, one of the dental floss wings Uncle David had made threatening to fall off. Dudley glanced up at the top of the tree and backed away, holding his hands up as if to silently urge the angel to stay balanced where it was.

Hermione giggled softly and Harry grinned down at her, unable to keep himself from laughing. Uncle Vernon's booming laugh joined Harry and Hermione's laughter, and soon enough the other four adults had joined in, finding the combined laughter of Harry, Hermione and Vernon infectious.

Once he'd ensured that the angel was going to stay where it was, Dudley turned to face the room, hands on hips and eyes narrowed. "Hey, stop laughing at me."

Harry snorted and staggered to his brother's side as the others stopped laughing, and Aunts Petunia and Helen stood to make their way to Helen's kitchen to collect the pastries they had made the night before for Christmas breakfast.

Severus smiled and pulled his wand from his pyjamas with a flourish, his black eyes sparkling joyfully. Harry realized, with a pang of sadness, that he rarely saw his uncle this happy; in fact Severus had only smiled like that a handful of times over the course of the whole year. Dudley frowned questioningly at Harry as Severus summoned breakfast and set to work conjuring mugs and plates for their breakfast picnic in the sitting room.

"What's up? Your aura flickered blue for a second, are you all right?"

Harry smiled, his forehead crinkling slightly. "We barely ever get to see Sev like this; he's always so… stern and teacher-ish."

Dudley nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I see what you mean. His aura isn't normally so bright. But what can we do? He's happy when he's around us, but not _properly _happy like he is today."

"I don't know, it's his birthday the first Saturday back at school after New Year, maybe me and Hermione could do something for it, but he's always more happy when the whole family gets together."

"Well, it's not like we can get together when we're all at school. Maybe you could try and get him a girlfriend, he's getting old and it could be his last chance."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "He's not _that_ old."

"He's not _that _young either." Dudley shuffled away from Harry, over to where Aunt Helen was handing out various pastries on plates.

"I'll have an Irish Coffee." Harry said, plopping himself down on the floor next to Severus, who was preparing hot drinks.

Vernon laughed richly and ruffled Harry's hair. "Sounds like a plan." He earned glares from the aunts and quickly added, "That is for us adults, maybe next year… uh, when you're older, maybe sixteen."

Harry took the plate his aunt offered him as Severus summoned a small bottle from his bedroom. He held it up to Uncle Vernon and winked, adding a drop to each of the men's tea. Uncle Dave smiled and accepted the cup, taking a sip. His eye twitched slightly as smoke poured from his ears. "Oh, it's got a bit of a kick. What type of whisky is it?"

"Ogden's." Severus answered, stowing the bottle in his top pyjama pocket along with his wand.

"Let us try a bit." Harry pleaded, holding his fingers a centimetre apart to indicate how much he wanted.

Aunt Petunia and Hermione glared at Harry disapprovingly and Severus smirked, holding out his mug. Harry accepted it excitedly as Dudley dashed to his side to try the Firewhiskey laced coffee. Harry took a sip and the whisky seared his mouth and throat as he swallowed. He scrunched up his eyes and quickly handed the mug to his brother, who took the mug quickly and had a mouthful of the liquid, scrunching his face up in distaste as he swallowed.

Both boys turned, glaring to the laughing men. "Why didn't you warn us it would burn our faces off?"

The corner of Severus's eyes twitched and his eyes sparkled playfully. "You didn't ask, you wanted Irish Coffee so I let you try some. You shouldn't have asked for it if you didn't want it."

"You're so Slytherin." Harry grumbled, crossing his arms as his uncle chuckled.

"How very surprising." Severus said, eyebrows raised and his voice teasing.

Harry threw his half eaten Danish pastry at his uncle who, with a flick lazy of his wand, transfigured it into a purple rose which he presented to Aunt Helen with a smile. Harry chuckled, selected a croissant from the tray on the floor and crossed his legs, shuffling over to sit next to his Aunt Petunia.

Aunt Petunia wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and nodded to Dudley, smiling cheerily. "Go on then, darling; you can start handing out the gifts."

_OOOOO_

On Boxing Day, Harry and his family visited Godric's Hollow to lay flowers on the gravestone of Lily and James. Once they'd paid their respects to Harry's parents, Severus, under a heavy glamour, escorted them to Diagon Alley to meet Remus.

As they walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Harry nudged his brother gently in the ribs and pointed to the man sitting in the corner of the room. Dudley nodded and narrowed his eyes, focusing intently. "His aura has gold in it, like all wizards, but around his body there's a browny green glow, it reminds me of the woods."

"Like the woods?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, forresty colours, it's like an outline around him. His aura reminds me a bit of the aura around animals, not boring ones like cats and mice but the big, cool ones like that panther in the zoo."

"You don't mean... Remus is a werewolf; do you think that's what you see?"

"Could be." Dudley nodded.

"Wow, that's so cool. So you can see wizards _and_ werewolves. I wish I could see auras. You can even tell how powerful a person is, how powerful is Remus's magic?"

"Not like you, Dumbledore, and Neville, and not quite as much as Hermione either. It's a bit like Severus's, it has added stuff like Sev's too. Severus has a bit of darkness in his aura and your friend, Remus, has an animal in it."

Harry pursed his lips and eyed Remus wearily. "Severus's darkness is caused by his use of dark magic when he did his double agent stuff, Remus's doesn't have a taint like that does it?"

Dudley shook his head quickly. "No, it's clean; I don't think he's ever used dark magic."

Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and pulled his older brother into a quick hug. "Thanks, Dud."

Harry led the large party over to where Remus was sitting; the only person from Harry's family who was missing was Uncle David who, after visiting Godric's Hollow, had to go in to sort some things out at the dental practice.

"Hello, Moony." Harry flung himself into the seat next to the werewolf, earning himself a glare from his aunt. He looked Remus up and down and grinned widely. "Happy Christmas, I see you got my presents."

Remus smiled down at Harry, looking torn between disapproval and affection. "Yes, thank you, Harry, you really shouldn't have though."

Harry smiled. "The robes suit you and the ones you were wearing in Hogsmeade looked really worn, and what with your condition I bet sometimes you accidentally rip your clothes. You said you didn't have a home for a long time, so you'd have had to have kept your stuff with you when you transformed, I thought the wolf would have destroyed quite a lot of it."

"You are, of course, right, but you really shouldn't have, I couldn't afford to get you anything like that, as you saw from my rather meagre gift to you."

"Nah, the book was great, I didn't realize Sev told you about the bond, all that stuff on the soul is really interesting, Dud enjoyed it too." Harry paused and looked at his family. "Oh yeah, Moony, this is my family, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Aunt Helen," Harry lowered his voice to a whisper. "that's Sev, he's under a glamour spell." His voice returned to its usual volume and he continued. "This is my brother Dudley, and you know Hermione, everyone this is Remus Lupin, my dad's best friend."

Aunt Petunia stepped forward and tentatively shook Remus's hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Mr. Lupin, Severus, of course, has told me about you."

Remus smiled and raised an eyebrow in Severus's direction. "Is that so?"

Aunt Petunia blushed and pulled out a chair, placing a handkerchief from her bag on the seat before sitting down. "Don't worry, he barely ever mentioned you in his rants about 'the marauders', it was always James and..." Petunia trailed off and the five adults fell into an awkward silence.

Harry narrowed his eyes and looked from one adult to another, Severus's and Remus's reactions were the strongest to Aunt Petunia's words. Remus looked as though he was in physical pain, he stared down at the table and his eyes shone as though he was fighting back tears. Severus, on the other hand, was clutching tightly onto the back of Aunt Petunia's c hair, his knuckles were white and he glared at the wall so fiercely that Harry was sure it was beginning to smoke slightly.

Harry wasn't entirely sure what had happened between his father's friends, he knew that it all had something to do with his prophecy and that one of them had killed another, landing himself a life sentence in the Wizarding prison. When he'd asked Aunt Petunia, she'd begun crying and Harry had promised that he'd never ask again; Uncle Vernon, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Dave had all said that he was too young to know, and Harry had mentioned it once to his uncle Severus and had been too afraid to even go near him for the next few days.

Harry's curiosity once again got the better of him and he opened his mouth to ask what had happened, closing it again when he met Hermione's eye over the table. She glared and shook her head once, putting a finger to her lips to indicate that he mustn't ask. Harry sighed and thought quickly, groping for anything else he could mention to ease the tension in the room.

In a tone of false irritation, Harry looked from his aunt and Remus and said, "Moony wrote to me the other day and said he wouldn't be telling me about any of the mischief he and my dad got up to when they were younger, 'cause my mum would want me to be a model student. So you've got nothing to worry about Aunt Tuney."

Remus looked up and smiled weakly at Harry. "Yes, well, I'm not sure your family would approve of some of the things we go up to." His voice was quiet and had a strange gravelly quality.

Harry fought back the urge to laugh; in his last letter, Remus had told Harry about several of the pranks 'the marauders' had pulled when they were at school. Harry was starting to realize that he and Seamus's detention count was nothing in comparison to his father's. Even Remus who, to Harry, seemed like a male version of Hermione had gotten as many detentions in one term as Harry, Ron and Seamus had combined.

"Well, it's a good job we have the marauder prefect as our role model then." Hermione said, shuffling onto the seat next to Remus.

"It's lovely to see you again, Hermione." Remus said, looking down at the girl in the seat next to him.

"You too, Remus." Hermione said pleasantly.

Remus smiled and looked at the others who had all taken seats around the table. "What would everyone like to drink?"

Uncle Vernon's forehead crinkled slightly and he shared a look with Aunt Petunia before looking back at the werewolf. "We asked you to meet us here, it's my shout. What're you drinking?"

Remus shook his head in protest and Harry reached for his tankard, sniffing the contents before setting it back down on the table. "Steaming stout." Harry said.

"And how would you know that?" Aunt Petunia asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Harry winked at his aunt before quickly turning away from her. "Uncle Vernon, you'll need help with that Wizarding money won't you?" He leapt to his feet and darted to the bar, away from his frowning family and Remus who seemed to be trying not to laugh.

_OOOOO_

Harry and Neville sped down the great staircase into the Longbottom's entrance hall where Mrs. Longbottom was waiting for them. Harry paused for a second to take another look around the room as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Neville's house truly was amazing. Dudley, of course, had told Harry that Neville's house was 'like a castle' and so, taking in mind Dudley's usual embellishments, Harry had at the most expected a manor house.

Neville described his house as a 'moated manor', Harry was more inclined to, as his brother did, describe the house as a castle. Harry had been in awe of the manor from the moment he'd stepped out of the floo. The fireplace probably wouldn't have even fit into Harry's living room; it was twice the height of Harry and on either side, standing sentinel, were two carved marble lions. On the other side of the room, a double staircase wound up out of the room and out of sight. The ten foot Christmas tree alone was enough to have Harry standing in the fireplace, gaping, mouth open and eyes wide.

From the outside the house, like many things in the Wizarding world, looked smaller. And despite Neville's assertions that Malfoy manor was several times bigger, Harry though it was the most imposing house he'd ever seen. At the back of the manor a grassy bank rose up out of the moat where Neville's greenhouses were kept. Neville had told Harry that there were several more greenhouses in the grounds, a few hundred metres away from the house.

Harry wasn't entirely sure what the moat was for, the stone bridge wasn't protected and the manor grounds sprawled hundreds of metres in all directions on the opposite side of the moat than the house.

Much to Neville's amusement, Harry had fallen out of Neville's bedroom window and into the moat on his second day at the Longbottom's. He'd managed to swim to the edge and had trudged back to the house, blushing furiously and hoping that Neville's fearsome grandmother would not spot him. Of course she had, but instead of telling him off she'd invited him into the parlour for a cup of tea, she'd then gone on to tell Harry how Neville had done the same thing several months earlier.

"Harry."

Harry blinked and looked at Neville. "I'm sorry, what?"

The other boy rolled his eyes and held out the small, engraved silver box in which the Longbottom's kept their floo powder.

Harry blushed. "Sorry. I was just thinking about the moat."

Neville grinned as Harry took a handful of silvery powder. "Dud fell in too."

"What?" Harry asked, his voice echoing around the entrance hall.

Neville's smile widened and he stepped backwards into the fire, dropping his own handful of floo powder and shouting, "St. Mungo's Hospital." Neville vanished and his grandmother ushered Harry into the flames, smiling reassuringly at Harry as he copied Neville's actions.

Harry's body span in the fireplace as the giant green flames leapt up, filling his nose and mouth with hot ash. He tucked his arms in and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, he'd once made the mistake of trying to keep his eyes open on the way home from Diagon alley with Severus and had thrown up all over the dining room floor.

Harry felt the spinning slow and remembered just in time to bend his legs to prevent himself from being thrown halfway across the St. Mungo's reception. He stumbled out of the fireplace, barely managing to stay upright and looked down to find Neville sprawled on his back on the reception floor.

Harry held out his hand and helped the other boy to his feet. "I thought you travelled by floo all the time?"

Neville blushed pink and accepted Harry's hand, clambering unsteadily to his feet. "I've never done it by stepping backwards into the fire."

Mrs. Longbottom appeared in the flames. Not even wobbling as she stepped out of the fireplace and wiped ash from the head of the stuffed vulture perched on her hat. Neville widened his eyes comically and glanced at his grandmother, indicating that he didn't want her finding out about him falling.

Harry grinned at his friend and brushed a hand through his hair, showering Neville in the ash which had settled there. "No worries, mate." He said as Mrs. Longbottom swept to the elevator across the room. "Don't we need to go to reception?"

Neville shook his head. "They let us come and go whenever we like, almost all of the staff know us. Especially Gran, I think she frightens them."

Harry didn't know what to say. Neville talked about coming to the hospital so casually as though he thought he had to pretend it didn't upset him. Visiting the cemetery at Godric's Hollow was hard enough, Harry cried almost every time he visited. Harry couldn't even begin to understand how Neville felt, seeing his parents so often but knowing they weren't there, not really.

Instead of speaking, Harry put a reassuring hand on Neville's shoulder, squeezing comfortingly, and smiling sadly at his friend.

Neville's smile faltered and he blinked twice. Almost as though he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling. Mrs. Longbottom pushed the shiny number four button on the inside wall of the elevator. Neville leaned against one of the elevator doors, chewing his lower lip, as the cabin was jerked upward and Harry had to force himself not to say anything. It was amazing how Neville managed to keep his composure knowing what awaited him once the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.

There was a ding as the elevator came to a halt and Mrs. Longbottom led the two boys down a corridor marked 'Spell Damage'. Harry watched Neville force a bright smile onto his face as they were led through a door and into a small, clean ward.

Harry was unsure of where to look when he entered. If he didn't look at the residents it would seem as though he felt uncomfortable around them, and yet looking at them felt like an invasion of privacy, their conditions really weren't any of his business and he really had no right to look at them.

As they neared the two beds at the end of the ward, Harry paused. Harry had seen pictures of Neville's parents, Neville kept an old family portrait next to his bed at school. The man and woman laid at the end of the ward looked nothing like the smiling couple from Neville's photograph. Alice Longbottom looked almost the same age as her mother-in-law and Frank looked older. Their eyes were blank and almost too large. Frank Longbottom was almost bald and Alice's hair was white and wispy.

Instantly regretting agreeing to come, Harry took a tentative step towards them as Neville sped to their bedsides, giving his mother and father each a gentle kiss on the cheek. He really didn't want to get any closer to the Longbottoms. It was wrong for him to be there.

Feeling sick, Harry took another step towards the Longbottom family. Harry couldn't help but stare at the gaunt looking Frank Longbottom, mentally comparing the handsome strong man he'd seen in Neville's photo and the skeletal man lying in front of him.

Horrible, burning guilt coiled in the pit of Harry's stomach. In some ways it was his fault. If he'd been killed by Voldemort then the Longbottoms would be alive and well now. Harry mentally scolded himself, he didn't choose to survive Voldemort's killing curse, he'd only been one at the time.

A horrible voice in the back of his mind sneered; i_f you'd been killed then Neville would still have his parents._ Harry walked closer as the ward span slightly; surely it would have been better if all the Potters had died that night. At least then Neville would have had a better childhood and his aunt and uncle's lives might have been better, Aunt Petunia had always wanted a daughter, maybe her wish would have been granted if Harry hadn't had to go live with her. With one final step, Harry reached the beds of the two Longbottoms.

Neville smiled as Harry rested a hand on the end of Frank's bed and beckoned him over.

"Harry, this is my mum and dad. Mum, Dad, this is Harry Potter. Gran said you knew him as a baby, but you haven't seen him in years. Gran said you'd approve of him though, he let me go on an adventure with him last year and I made friends with his Muggle brother." Neville smiled at his parents and grabbed Harry by the hand, leading him into the gap between Frank and Alice's beds.

Harry smiled timidly at his friend's parents. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, it's lovely to meet you. Neville and... the other Mrs. Longbottom have told me a lot about you."

Neville smiled encouragingly as Alice reached out, grabbing Harry tightly by the arm and pulling him close.

"Now, now, Alice, dear, there's no need to hold on so tightly, I'm sure Harry will do as you ask without the need for such force." Mrs. Longbottom said in a falsely cheerful voice as she tried to loosen Alice's vice-like hold around Harry's wrist.

Alice hummed contentedly and peered closely at Harry before turning away and running a finger tenderly along the side of Neville's face. She then let go of both boys and reached for the chocolate bar Mrs. Longbottom was holding out for her.

Harry sat back in his chair and watched as Neville helped his mother unwrap her chocolate bar and snapped it up, giving her one small piece at a time.

Once Alice and Frank had finished their chocolate, and Neville and Mrs. Longbottom had cleaned the mess from their faces, Neville set to work brushing his mother's hair. Unsure of what to do Harry picked up an old book of children's short stories from Neville's father's night stand; opening it to the first page he began reading aloud to Frank who had been watching him curiously.

"The Fountain of Fair Fortune." He began, frowning slightly at the unusual title of the story. "_High on a hill, in an enchanted garden enclosed by tall walls and protected by strong magic flowed the fountain of fair fortune. _

_Once a year, between the hours of sunrise and sunset on the longest day, a single unfortunate was given the chance to fight their way to the Fountain, bathe in its waters, and receive Fair Fortune forevermore._

_On the appointed day, hundreds of people travelled from all over the kingdom to reach the garden walls before dawn. Male and female, rich and poor, young and old, of magic and without, they gathered in the darkness, each hoping that they would be the one to gain entrance to the gardens._

_Three witches, each with her burden of woe, met on the outskirts of the crowd, and told one another their sorrows, as they waited for sunrise._

_The first, by name Asha, was sick of malady no Healer could cure. She hoped that the Fountain would banish her symptoms and grant her a long and happy life._"

Harry paused and sighed, thinking how wonderful it would be if the fountain truly did exist. It seemed almost insensitive reading the story to Frank Longbottom who would never recover from his illness.

Harry peeked over the top of his book to see if anyone would notice him slipping the book back onto the bedside table without continuing. To his surprise he found all four Longbottoms were sitting up, watching Harry expectantly as he held the book up over his face.

Harry felt his face heat up and he lifted the book higher to hide his blush, deciding to continue reading the story to Frank.

"_The second by name Alrheada, had been robbed of her home, her gold, and her wand by an evil sorcerer. She hoped that the Fountain might relieve her of powerlessness and poverty._

_The third, by name Amata, had been deserted by a man whom she loved dearly, and she thought her heart would never mend. She hoped that the Fountain would relieve her of her grief and longing..._

_OOOOO_

"Harry, are you all right?" Neville knocked on the door of the bedroom Harry was using and pushed it open.

Harry, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed in his pyjamas, closed the book he was reading and looked up. "Why, what's up, mate?"

Neville slipped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "You seemed a bit off after we left the hospital." He climbed onto Harry's bed and sat down, facing his friend.

"I'm fine." Harry said as he slipped the book under his pillow.

Neville narrowed his eyes. Harry thought it was remarkable how much he looked like Hermione when he did that. "You're not. What's up with you? You were acting a bit odd at the hospital too. I thought it was my mum and dad at first; you seemed a bit awkward around them. Some people find them... they don't like to be around them, grown adults who can barely feed themselves. Sometimes it's easy to forget that they used to be normal grownups like Gran and your aunt."

Harry frowned, suddenly realizing how it must have looked to Neville and his grandmother. "Oh, Neville. You know I'd never- they're brilliant." He said earnestly, feeling slightly abashed. "To tell the truth I did feel awkward when I saw them."

Neville's face fell and he looked as though he was about to cry. Harry backtracked, cursing silently. "Not how you think, Neville. I was shocked, in your pictures they seem so full of life and to see them laying there it kind of made me realize everything Voldemort did, even after he was gone. When you think about the war, you kind of think that there's nothing worse than being killed but seeing them there. Your parents are alive but they can't look after you, I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for you. And then I realized that if Voldemort's curse hadn't rebounded they'd be all right. It kind of made me feel responsible and I suddenly felt like I shouldn't be there, like an imposter or something."

Neville's face darkened and Harry flinched away from his friend. Neville had obviously hadn't realized it before Harry had pointed it out to him. Despite the fact that he could potential loose Neville as a friend, Harry couldn't regret telling Neville, he did have the right to know.

"How- how?" Neville spluttered.

"I'm sorry, I really am sorry. I wouldn't have even come if I'd realized." Neville didn't answer and Harry felt sick. "Neville?" His voice held a pleading note.

"How? Harry, how could you think that?" Neville clenched his fists and Harry flinched again, bracing himself for Neville's punch which never came.

Harry blinked, Neville's words suddenly sinking in. "Wait, what?"

"Why on earth would you ever think that? How could you blame yourself for what Lestrange did? All you did was survive, Harry. And after hearing that prophecy, do you really think that after killing your family y- _Voldemort _wouldn't have come after me?" Harry frowned, this was the first time Neville had ever used Voldemort's name.

"He'd have come after me, my mum, and dad and killed us all. And if, by some luck, I did the same as you, I survived the killing curse; I would still have grown up the same way. By surviving you probably saved hundreds of lives; do you think V-Voldemort would have allowed the Weasleys to live, and what about your aunt and uncle, he went after the Muggle relatives of his enemies too." Neville's glare softened and he sighed. "My gran tells me all sorts of stories about my parents, and even though I barely knew them I know that they'd have sacrificed themselves to get rid of V-Voldemort. I think your parents would probably have held the same beliefs. Four lives in exchange for so many; I think that seems fair enough. After what happened with the philosopher's stone I know you'd do the same. If our positions were reversed would you resent me, Harry? Would you hate me for defeating V-Voldemort and becoming an orphan if in the process your parents were also killed whilst at the same time saving thousands of lives?"

"Of course not, how could it possibly have been your- oh." Harry blushed and looked down, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I've been a right idiot, haven't I?"

Neville laughed and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder. "Not really. It's easy to blame yourself when everyone expects so much of you, it's because everyone calls you 'the chosen one'. Hermione was complaining about it just the other day when Lockhart told her that she was really clever for making friends with you so young, since now she has the potential to be famous without actually having to do anything."

* * *

**AN: A big, big thanks to my beta 'Bitch Goddess' without whom Hermione would have had an angle sitting atop her Christmas tree rather than an angel. Also big thanks to all of my reviewers and those who added this story to their favourite and alert lists. **

**-beksta **


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

_Harry,_

_Hello, I did tell you Neville's house was massive, next time you should believe me. I don't think I told you in my last letter__,__ but Aunt Marge has decided she wants to come and stay with us over the summer. Mum said that might not be possible__,__ but she didn't say why. She also said that you and Hermione have got to sign up to come home for the Easter holidays, again I don't know why__,__ but I think something might be going on. _

_Next time you send an owl__,__ please send it at night. I got in trouble last lesson for Hedwig appearing in the middle of maths, '__M__uggles' aren't used to seeing owls during the day, never mind in the middle of a classroom. I didn't have a clue what to do and in the end I just had to say she was your pet and she'd somehow found me, you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to hide Smudge (who is tiny compared to Hedwig) and then Hedwig goes and does that. How could I have told Mr. Sands that she's a magically trained post owl?_

_How's it going with your search for the __C__hamber of __S__ecrets? Neville said in his last letter that you'd checked through several decades and found nothing. _

_I wonder where Sev was on his birthday, I can't believe you and Hermione missed him. It seems really strange. Did you ask him or are you going to do your sneak__-__around__-__and__-__try__-__to__-__work__-__it__-__out__-__for__-__yourself thing?_

_Anyway, see you at Easter._

_From,_

_Dudley._

Harry folded up his brother's letter and slipped it into the pocket of his robes, wondering if Dudley had sent his letter at such an odd time in revenge. Hedwig nibbled Harry's finger harder than she usually would as he shooed her out of the library, trying to do so as quietly as possible so that Madam Pince wouldn't notice.

Ron sniggered into the copy of the Daily Prophet he was checking as Hedwig squawked and glared reproachfully at Harry before turning and flying out of the library. For what seemed like the hundredth time since Christmas, Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were sitting around a table in the library sifting through back copies of the Daily Prophet.

Not trusting any of the others to help her, Hermione had disappeared off somewhere in the castle with Cedric to attempt to re-brew the polyjuice potion. She was certain that this time it would succeed as she had an older student helping her and she hadn't told Ron, Neville, or Seamus where she was making it as to avoid a repeat of the last time they'd tried to brew it.

"I think I've found it. Look at this." Dean swept the newspapers from the table and laid out the one he'd just picked up. He began reading the article aloud in a hushed, excited voice, _"Fifth Year Hogwarts student, Myrtle Maloney, was found dead last Sunday in a girl's bathroom, at Hogwarts, following a series of attacks on the school by the so called 'heir of Slytherin'. Miss. Maloney's parents were informed yesterday evening. It is believed that Miss Maloney has remained at the school as a ghost and that the culprit had been apprehended although no further details can be given at this-"_

"Wait, she became a ghost?" Harry cut Dean off and frowned.

"Looks like it." Dean said scanning the page again. "Yeah, it says here 'remained at the school as a ghost'."

"And what did you say her name was?" Ron asked, planting his elbows on the table and leaning forwards.

"Maloney, Myrtle Maloney." Dean said scanning the page one last time. "But there's nothing else. It doesn't say who actually opened the chamber or what Slytherin's monster was."

"We'll have to go find this ghost, then. I bet she's still here." Harry said, trying to keep his voice quiet despite his excitement at having found a new lead. "We can ask one of the ghosts we actually know if they know her."

"Come on, then, what're we waitin' for?" Seamus jumped to his feet and lifted up an armful of newspapers, stuffing them back into the drawers where they'd gotten them from.

Harry nodded in agreement and lifted up another stack, wincing at what he imagined Hermione would say if she could see them cramming the newspapers back into the drawer without bothering to put them in order.

As soon as they'd put the newspapers away, the five boys ran from the library, their school robes billowing wildly behind them as they made their way to the Great Hall where most of the ghosts spent their time. As they neared the end of the third floor corridor, Neville slipped and slid into a first year Ravenclaw, sending her flying across the corridor.

"Are you all right?" Neville tried to scramble to his feet, but slipped on his robes, once again tumbling to the floor.

"I'm fine." The girl clambered from her feet, not bothering to wipe the dust from her robes and looked up at Harry. "You're Harry Potter."

Harry nodded, slightly baffled by her tone of voice. "Yes, I am."

She turned to scrutinize the other boys as they climbed to their feet. "I know who you are." She pointed at Ron. "But I don't know you three." She stared at the three boys, and for once Harry was thankful that everyone seemed to know who he was.

The strange Ravenclaw girl didn't seem to have to blink like normal people, she just stared at Seamus, Dean, and Neville until Seamus finally held out his hand. "Seamus Finnegan." She accepted Seamus's hand and shook gently before turning her gaze to the final two boys. "Those two are Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom. Who're you?"

Harry elbowed his friend in the ribs for his rude tone of voice. The girl didn't seem to find Seamus's question impolite. She turned back to him and cocked her head to the side, her grey eyes widening slightly. It took her several seconds to answer and Harry wondered if she'd forgotten her name.

The girl smiled and then answered Seamus's question. "Luna Lovegood."

"Okay, well it's nice to meet you, but we've gotta be somewhere." Ron turned to leave but Neville held out a hand to stop him.

"Are you sure you're all right, Luna? I hit you quite hard." Neville asked; he looked as though he didn't really want to talk to Luna, but felt he had to because he'd knocked her down.

"You were in a hurry." She noted. "Were you looking for your snake?"

"Snake?" Dean asked.

"Yes. Harry's snake, it tried to eat you."

Harry frowned, only just remembering about Hiss. "He's vanished; I haven't seen him since before Christmas."

"Oh, maybe the Zibberfligs got him, there's a nest of them roosting near the Hospital wing." She informed him in a tone that suggested Harry really should have known this already.

"A Zibberflig?" He asked.

"Oh, yes, they're very sneaky little creatures. They look like small skinless kittens with pixie wings and pig snouts. They'll eat anything so you have to be careful about where you leave your things." She said, nodding. "They have a chemical on their skin which, if comes into contact with human skin, has a similar affect to a confundus charm so not very many people can be certain that they've actually seen one."

"Are you sure they actually exist?" Ron asked. "I mean they don't exactly sound real."

Luna blinked for what could only have been the third time since the beginning of their conversation and said in a mildly exasperated tone. "Of course they exist. How else can you explain the disappearance of Harry's snake?"

Ron's eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to answer but Harry cut him off, smiling politely at Luna. "It was very lovely to meet you, Luna, but we really must be going. We have to find a ghost."

"Oh, really? Any ghost in particular or do you just want a ghost? The Grey Lady passed by just ten minutes ago." Luna said pointing through the wall over the staircase.

"Uh, no we're looking for the ghost of Myrtle Maloney." Harry said.

"Myrtle? I can take you to her, if you'd like; although, I don't know why you'd be looking for her. She's not a very friendly ghost. I could take you to find a nicer one if you want, the Fat Friar is very pleasant."

"We need to find Myrtle." Harry said, wondering if Luna was mocking him or if she really was just a very strange girl.

"Oh, all right then. Follow me." She turned and began skipping down the stairs.

Ron turned to Harry, his eyes narrowed as though he blamed Harry for the strange girl accompanying them. Harry shrugged and mouthed, _'what else could I do?'_ Ron huffed, his nostrils flaring slightly and began to follow Luna Lovegood down the moving staircase.

As they reached the second floor corridor, Harry and the others found themselves ankle deep in cold water, which had leaked out from under the door of a girl's bathroom just a bit further down the corridor.

Luna continued skipping as though she hadn't noticed the water and the boys, after looking at one another and shrugging, followed after, trying their hardest not to grimace as cold water seeped through their shoes and socks.

As they neared the door Harry could hear moans and wails coming from within the bathroom. With a jolt of surprise Harry suddenly realized which ghost Myrtle Maloney was. "Of course, Moaning Myrtle." Harry whispered to his friends. "How could I have forgotten? Hermione would've known straight away."

"The one who was fighting with that house elf?" Dean asked.

Harry nodded and sped up, ignoring the way that his robes had soaked up water all the way to his knees. Luna pushed the bathroom door open and beckoned for the five boys to follow.

"We can't go in there. It's a girl's bathroom." Ron protested as Seamus forged ahead through the water, causing tiny waves to form and lap at the ankles of the other boys.

"It's outta order, 's not like there's gonna be any girls in there to complain." Seamus said, reaching the door and pushing it open.

Harry followed him through the door and held it open for Ron, Dean, and Neville. Luna was waiting for them inside and had already begun an argument with Myrtle about the existence of what sounded like an imaginary creature.

Ron glanced around the bathroom and grinned lopsidedly at Myrtle. "Did you flood this whole bathroom yourself?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the impressed tone of Ron's voice.

"Of course."She huffed crossing her arms and glaring at them. "You shouldn't be here, you're boys!"

Ignoring her comment, Ron frowned and surveyed the bathroom again. "Why?"

"Because, it's a girl's bathroom."

"Oh, I know that, I just told Seamus we shouldn't come in here. I meant why did you flood the bathroom? Did Peeves ask you to?" Ron asked still looking mildly impressed.

"_Because_, I'm a ghost and ghosts can't cry."

"Why were you crying?" Harry asked wading across the room.

"You boys ask too many questions." Myrtle said sulkily before grinning frighteningly and answering his question with relish. "Well, here I was, minding my own business, sitting in the U-Bend of that toilet there when this book fell straight through my head." She swooped to the ground and pointed accusingly at a small black book on the floor of the bathroom. "Well, you'd understand my outrage; people always think they can poke fun of me because I'm dead. Throwing shoes at me because I can't feel it, dropping dungbombs down my toilet, you _living_ students are all the same."

Harry looked down at the book and took a step forward to retrieve it, but was stopped when Ron flung an arm around his waist to stop him. "Don't, it could be dangerous!"

"Dangerous?" Harry snorted. "That's ridiculous, how could a book be dangerous?"

_"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated Dad's told me — there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed."_

"It seems strange, but weirdly that little anecdote makes me think about Hermione. I wonder why that could be." Seamus said, pretending to be deep in thought.

"I dunno." Harry shrugged. "Wandering around all the time with your nose stuck in a book, doesn't sound at all like her."

Luna rolled her eyes at the boys and said, looking at Ron. "Don't be silly; what would Ginny be doing with a dangerous diary."

"Ginny?" Ron asked.

"She's your sister." Luna explained.

"I know that." Ron said scowling. "How do _you _know that's Ginny's diary?"

"She sits with me in the library sometimes. I don't have many friends; most people think I'm rather odd." She shrugged stepping forward and fishing the book out of the water. "I suppose the nargles must have stolen it from her, they do like to steal people's possessions."

Ron mouthed _'nargles'_ to the other boys and Harry heard Seamus and Dean's muffled laughter from behind him.

Pocketing the book Luna smiled at the boys. "I'll return this to Ginny now; I bet she'll be wondering where it's gone." She then turned to Myrtle. "I'll see you later, Myrtle."

Once Luna had left Ron turned to his four friends with a look of astonishment on his face. "Wow, she really is quite... interesting isn't she?"

Harry snickered at Ron and Myrtle scowled and said. "Interesting isn't the word _I'd_ use. She's loony. Loony loopy Luna Lovegood. Lonely loony Lovegood."

"Loony Lovegood and Moaning Myrtle, you could start a band, 'the weirdo's' or something along those lines." Seamus mused, trying not to smile as Neville elbowed him in the ribs.

Myrtle puffed up her chest and looked just about ready to start crying again. Stepping in front of Seamus, Neville smiled sympathetically at the ghost. "We've come to ask you something Myrtle, but it's on a rather personal topic."

Myrtle tilted her head to the side and floated lower to look closer at the boys. "Really? No one ever asks me personal questions."

Neville blushed but proceeded to ask his question. "We want to know about your death?"

Myrtle beamed widely and floated closer to the boys. "It really is a brilliant story." She floated backwards into a stall and, if possible, her smile grew wider. "I died right here, in this very stall. I hid in here and was crying because Olive Hornby was making fun of my glasses again. Well, I showed her, she came looking for me and found me laying on the floor all dead and stuff. It was excellent, you should've heard her scream, and then I jumped out at her, floated right through her body." Myrtle giggled with cruel delight and floated higher into the air.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck felling uncomfortable and forced himself to smile. "Uh, yeah, it sounds great, Myrtle, but what we really want to know is _how_ you died."

"Oh well, _that's_ not very interesting at all. I heard a voice outside the stall; it was a boy's voice. I opened my door and came out to ask him what he thought he was doing, I saw bright glowing eyes and then I just died." She sighed theatrically. "I didn't even know who did it so I couldn't even haunt him."

"You didn't see who did it?" Dean asked.

Myrtle shook her head. "No, all I saw was bright orange eyes and then I was floating."

"But the Daily Prophet said someone had been caught." Ron protested. "Surely you know who it was."

"Of course I do. Tom Riddle caught Rubeus Hagrid hiding a monster in a dungeon cupboard not long after I died. But I know he didn't do it, everyone in the school knew that Rubeus was keeping an acromantula. I wasn't in Ravenclaw for nothing, you know. Acromantulas can't kill people by just looking at them; even stupid 'act before thinking' Gryffindors know that." She sniffed and floated down. "Rubeus was a Gryffindor half-giant, it shows doesn't it, keeping dangerous creatures in a cupboard without thinking, typical Gryffindor behaviour. Dippet was stupid to think he was the heir of Slytherin. I imagine that's why Dumbledore let Rubeus stay on as grounds keeper."

Harry sighed. "Why is it everyone blames Hagrid? This is just making me feel worse for suspecting him."

"Do you think we should go talk to him?" Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. I wouldn't want him thinking we believe it's him, I bet there's plenty of people blaming him already. We'll have to go down and visit him soon and just act like we don't know how he got expelled."

_OOOOO_

Harry spotted his aunt and brother waiting at the platform before Hermione did. He ran at them, launching himself into his brother's arms and hugging him tightly around the neck.

He released his brother when Hermione approached and pulled his aunt into a cuddle. "Aunt Tuney."

Petunia bent down and returned Harry's hug with surprising strength for such a thin woman. "Oh, I've missed you. You'd think after last year I'd be used to an empty house, but with you three gone everything is just so quiet."

She kissed Harry on the forehead and let him go, turning to Hermione and pulling her close. "I'll not want to let any of you go back to school after the holidays. Helen and David have been working rather a lot, and since his promotion earlier this year, Vernon's hours have been longer." Aunt Petunia let go of Hermione and picked up Hedwig's cage. "I've been meeting up with Remus in York every now and again and I'm ever so grateful to Augusta Longbottom. We've been meeting for afternoon tea every Monday since the Christmas holidays, she really is a lovely woman. Although, I wonder why none of you thought to warn me about the size of their home." She shot the three children a glare.

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I didn't realize you'd be particularly interested. What did you think of Mrs. Longbottom, she's a bit scary, don't you think? Her brother's quite fun though."

"I suppose she could seem rather formidable, yes. She told me all about Neville's parents; of course, I knew some of the story, but I wasn't expecting their injuries to be quite so severe." She set Hedwig's cage on the floor by the station fireplace and fished around in her handbag for a small box of floo powder.

Dudley and Hermione went first and Harry was just about to drop his handful of powder into the flames when his aunt grabbed him by the arm. "Augusta told me about your visit to the hospital and how you read to Frank." Tears glistened in her eyes and she smiled at him. "You're so much like your mother. I think she is the only person who could possibly have been more proud of you than I was at that moment. You're a very good boy, just like Lily. It really is astounding how much you're like her. Remus, of course, has told me about your father and you're a lot like him too, but you're sweet and caring just like your mother." She pressed another kiss to his head and let go of his hand.

Harry smiled at his aunt and turned to the fire dropping his handful of floo powder, his voice shaking slightly as he called, "The terrace." into the flames. People always liked to compare him to his parents. It was great hearing about how brilliant his parents were, but it meant all the more coming from Aunt Petunia, telling him he was like his mother was the highest praise she could give him.

He pulled his trunk into the flames and clutched it close to him as he began spinning.

_OOOOO_

"Dudley, Harry, Hermione, would you please come downstairs and set the table?"

Harry folded his Hogwarts option form in half, set it down on the desk and stood up, stretching. Before they'd set off on the Hogwarts Express, Professor McGonagall had given all of the students who were leaving the school for Easter a set of sheets about their options for third year.

Severus had spoken to Harry about it at the start of the holidays and he had received three rather helpful letters from Cedric, Neville's grandmother, and Percy Weasley. In the end, deciding he couldn't be outdone by Hermione, Harry had chosen to take all of the subjects on offer. Even Muggle Studies, despite the fact that he knew he wouldn't actually be learning anything new in that lesson.

Dudley, who had been teaching Hermione to play one of his new video games, turned off his game console and helped Hermione to her feet.

"Okay, Mum, we'll be right down." Dudley bellowed downstairs as they left his bedroom.

The trio headed downstairs to the dining room where they met Aunt Petunia who handed Harry a stack of plates, Hermione a handful of candles, and Dudley a basket of placemats, cutlery, and napkins.

Harry set his plates down on the table and sighed as his aunt left the room. "Why does she never trust us with the candles?"

Hermione sniffed and said sarcastically, "Yes, I wonder."

"Hey, that's not fair. I'm pretty good with fire." Harry protested as he and Dudley began putting place mats around the table.

"I'm sure that the fact you know that is part of the reason Aunt Petunia won't give them to you." Hermione said, setting her candles out neatly down the centre of the table.

Dudley narrowed his eyes as they stepped back to admire their handiwork. "Do you know who's in for tea? There's nine plates."

"Well, it's Easter dinner so I would assume that everyone would be here. Uncle Vernon is back already, my parents should be getting home now, and I know for a fact Severus will be here." Hermione said counting names off on her fingers. "Who's the ninth person? Marge isn't coming is she?"

Dudley shook his head. "Not 'till summer."

"What about Moony?" Harry asked.

"No, he wouldn't test the wards like that." Hermione answered, shaking her head.

"Maybe Aunt Petunia just got it wrong." Harry said shrugging.

Dudley shook his head. "No, she doesn't get stuff like that wrong; she likes big dinners to be perfect. You know that, Harry."

"Well, I suppose we will just have to wait until whoever it is gets here. It will most probably be someone who knows about Hogwarts, we haven't been asked to let the owls out or not speak about magic." Hermione said.

Aunt Petunia entered the dining room and inspected the table. "Ah, good, you're done. You'd all best go upstairs and change for dinner. Dudley, Harry, I've put you each a jumper and trousers on your beds. Hermione, dear, I've put a lovely pink dress on the bed in the spare room with the blue walls."

The three children nodded and headed upstairs to change into their dinner clothes. Under normal circumstances, Aunt Petunia wouldn't make them change for dinner; however, for special occasions she always liked to pick out outfits for them.

In his bedroom Harry found a thin burgundy cashmere jumper and a pair of dark jeans, he'd never seen the outfit before and so assumed that his aunt had bought it for him on her trip into town earlier in the week.

Digging a belt out from the bottom of his wardrobe Harry wrapped it around his waist and fastened it. Once dressed, Harry exited his bedroom and ran into Dudley on the landing. Aunt Petunia had dressed Dudley in a similar outfit, although his jumper was a dark green colour, which, in Harry's opinion, made him look particularly caterpillarish.

Harry stifled a laugh and followed his brother downstairs, heading into the kitchen for Aunt Petunia to inspect them.

"Oh, don't you two look handsome." She gushed as she strode over to them, examining their clothes.

Aunt Petunia bent and used a napkin from her pocket to wipe a smudge from Dudley's cheek. She then stepped over to where Harry was standing and pulled a comb from the pocket of her apron. She tugged it through Harry's hair and he tried not to wince as she added water to the comb in an attempt to make Harry's usually unruly hair lay flat.

She only managed to wrestle the comb through Harry's hair six times before giving in, even then all she'd managed to do was give Harry a headache and break several of the teeth from the comb.

Sighing, Aunt Petunia extracted the broken bits of comb from Harry's hair and put it all back in her apron pocket. "I'll have to ask your uncle when he arrives if there are any potions which might help to tame your hair." She sniffed. "You obviously got your hair from your father and that habit of yours doesn't help, running your hand through it every five minutes, as if it isn't messy enough."

Again, Harry had to stifle a laugh. Aunt Petunia really didn't like his hair; she said that the messiness reflected badly on her as though they didn't own a comb. Normally she just ignored his hair, picking out clothes to bring out his eyes so other people wouldn't notice the messiness either. She usually only tried to get him to neaten it around special guests; glancing at his brother, Harry could see that he was thinking the same thing, _'who was this extra guest?'_

Just as he was about to voice his question, Hermione skipped into the kitchen. She was wearing a pretty pink party dress which Aunt Petunia must have gotten when she'd bought Harry and Dudley's jumpers. Harry smiled as Aunt Petunia turned to Hermione, fussing over the dress and the matching pink headband she'd used to pull her frizzy hair back with. It was no secret that she saw Hermione as the daughter she'd never had, and despite the fact that Hermione didn't particularly like wearing dresses or pink clothing she humoured her aunt. Even going as far as to accompany Aunt Petunia on her shopping trips to try on all of the outfits Aunt Petunia picked out for her, a feat which neither Harry nor Dudley had ever managed.

Hermione smiled and twirled obligingly on the spot so that Aunt Petunia could see the dress from all directions.

Harry jumped at a loud popping sound outside the front door. Seconds later the front door banged open and Severus swept into the kitchen looking frantic. "Petunia. You're ready, there's not going to be any mishaps is there?" He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Harry and Dudley.

Dudley crossed his arms. "Why did you look at us like that when you said mishaps?"

"I have not yet forgotten your birthday dinner two years ago when you and Harry were sent to your rooms for throwing handfuls of food at one another." Severus said stiffly as he bent to inspect the meat Aunt Petunia had in the oven.

"Well, that's not fair at all. If I remember correctly, which I do, you were the one who hexed both of us." Harry said, adopting Hermione's bossy tone and crossing his arms.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "It was a simple stinging hex and I used it to stop the two of you ruining the dining room. Regardless of this, I implore that the two of you are on your best behaviour today." If Harry didn't know his uncle better, he would have said that he looked nervous.

"What about Hermione? Doesn't she need to be on her best behaviour?" Harry asked.

"Hermione doesn't need to be asked to behave at the dinner table." Severus said, running a finger along the top of one of the work surfaces and inspecting it for dust.

Aunt Petunia glowered at him. "I assure you, Severus; you will not find a single spec of dirt in my kitchen. If you're so desperate to clean something, then you may sort through Harry's school trunk."

Severus cleared his throat, looking slightly abashed. "I'm sorry, Petunia; I just can't help but worry. I want so very much for you to approve."

Aunt Petunia enveloped Severus in a hug. "We're your family, Severus, we'd approve of your decision no matter what." She leaned back and inspected him, smiling slyly. "Anyway, you loved my baby sister. I think we've already proved that your taste in women is rather fine."

"I still do and I didn't think I could love anyone as much as I loved her, I'm still not sure that I can, but... well, Lily really was one of a kind."

Hermione's eyes widened and Harry felt, through the bond, realization of something striking her. He frowned and tried to catch her gaze, but Hermione's attention was focused upon Aunt Petunia and Severus.

"Who is she?" Hermione asked, eyes shining brightly with excitement. "Do we know her? How did you meet her?"

Severus smiled and checked his watch. "You'll find out shortly."

Harry narrowed his eyes and looked between Hermione and his uncle, trying desperately to work out what it was they were speaking about. "Wait." He said hesitantly, realization slowly dawning. "_You_ have a girlfriend?"

"What makes you say 'you' in such a tone?" Severus asked, looking rather threatening as he glowered down at Harry.

"Well you're just so... Severus." Harry pulled a face and shivered slightly. "Everyone finds you frightening and... well- did you use a love potion?" Harry narrowed his eyes at his uncle and adopted Hermione's scholarly voice. "Only last term Professor Lockhart told us all how you are oh so excellent at brewing up love potions, so what did you use? A Montmorency brew? Theia Mania? Or was it Amortentia? I bet you'd be able to do that, I read in 'Moste Potente Potions' that it's pretty difficult, but you are one of the most skilled potions masters in the world."

From the look on his face, Severus appeared to be torn between feeling flattered at Harry's compliment, offended by Harry's assertion that he would need a love potion to get a girlfriend, and impressed by Harry's potions knowledge. His face contorted in a way which Harry found particularly amusing and he cleared his throat. "And how, may I ask, did a book like 'Moste Potente Potions' come to be in your possession?"

"I bought it, I thought you must have read it before, otherwise I'd have offered to lend it to you. I lent it to Hermione so I think it'll be in her trunk if you want to have a look at it."

"Don't tell me you got it from Knockturn Alley." Severus said, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, I bought it in a little used book shop in Hogsmeade. Me and Hermione have gotten quite a few books from there, rather good ones I might add too. Some of them are in the restricted section and whilst it's not difficult to go in there and get them ourselves we much prefer owning them."

Hermione silently shook her head in irritation and let out a long breath.

Severus' expression turned pained and he sighed. "_Merlin_, I knew you were like your father but..." He sighed again. "Because of you I'm going to go prematurely grey, fistfights with Slytherins, sneaking places where you ought not go, and investigating things which are better left alone. I don't suppose I can even blame Finnegan and the Weasleys' influences. Please don't tell me that you've actually tried to make anything from that book, the easiest potions in that book are Owl level and I don't think my NEWT class could successfully brew even half of those potions."

Harry felt Hermione shush him through the bond and he forced a laugh. "Of course not, I only bought it because I'm interested in potions, that's your fault, you know."

"Not necessarily." Severus said shaking his head. "It may be genetic. Your mother was always better than me at potions and if you can believe it, after her _I_ was considered to be the best student at potions since before our professor was at school. Lily had an apprenticeship with Libatius Borage, a rather celebrated potions master. If she hadn't had to go into hiding with you and your father she would be working for the Department of Mysteries now."

Aunt Petunia clapped her hands together and looked up at the clock above the kitchen sink. "Right, well, she'll be here in five minutes. Hermione, do you want to go call your parents to the table? They arrived home whilst you were setting the table." Hermione nodded and left the room and Aunt Petunia turned to the two boys. "Right, Harry, would you get three glasses out of the cupboard for yourself, Dudley, and Hermione. Dudley, please make a jug of juice to go on the table."

Harry hummed a song to himself as he reached up to the cupboard where Aunt Petunia kept the glasses. Stacking them onto a tea tray he made his way to the dining room, walking slowly so as to avoid dropping the glasses as he'd done on several occasions.

As he was putting the final glass at the place where Hermione usually sat, a sharp rap on the door echoed through the house. Tucking the tray under his arm Harry darted through the pantry and into the kitchen.

Aunt Petunia, who was standing over the stove when he entered, turned to Harry and once again pulled the comb from her seemingly bottomless apron pocket. He managed to duck past her first attempt at pulling the comb through his hair, but his attempt at escape was foiled when he ran into Uncle David who had just walked into the kitchen with Hermione and Aunt Helen.

He felt Aunt Petunia's hand close around his shoulder. Fortunately, at that moment, the entire room fell silent as the front door opened and Severus greeted the person on the doorstep. Aunt Petunia gasped and ushered the three children into the dining room along with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Helen and Uncle Dave.

Harry tried to protest but Aunt Petunia silenced him with a sharp shake of her head. "The poor woman will be nervous enough without us all standing gawping at her. You can wait until Severus brings her in to meet her."

Harry scowled at the floor and shuffled through the pantry and into the dining room, taking his usual seat at the table between Hermione and Uncle Vernon.

The constant buzz of Hermione's excitement, which Harry could feel through the bond, made Harry feel on edge and jumpy and constant tapping of Harry's feet under the table seemed to be annoying Uncle Vernon. For the third time since sitting down at the table, Harry ran a hand through his hair, Hermione nudged him under the table. "Stop it, Aunt Petunia will be furious when she sees you, your hair looks as though you've just gotten off of your broom."

Harry twined his fingers together on his lap and squeezed both hands tightly together trying to stop himself running his hand through his hair again. "It's your fault. You're making me jumpy."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. Aren't you excited? I wonder who she is."

Harry shrugged. "I suppose I want to know if she really does like him or if he's just confounded her."

Hermione elbowed him in the ribs and glared. "This witch will only know you as _Harry Potter_ and not as the irritating rule breaker that you really are, so don't frighten her."

"It'll be all right if Sev's gone for someone his own age, then she'll know all about my dad and Moony, so she'll be expecting a mini-marauder. In fact, I might actually disappoint her, since if she's expecting a marauder, I don't particularly like attention, I won't be at all what she's expecting. So, Hermione, what you're suggesting is that I should act up instead of behaving like normal Harry."

Hermione's nostrils flared slightly and she kicked him viciously in the side of the leg. "That's not at all funny. You don't need a magical bond to know that Severus is nervous, so behave."

"Sorry, _mother_." Harry said bending over to rub his leg whilst at the same time trying to keep his head above the table.

Hermione sniffed and shot Harry a warning glare as the dining room door opened and Severus stepped in. A frightened looking woman followed close behind him. Harry sat up straight in his chair and carefully scrutinized the woman. She looked slightly younger than Severus, maybe by three or four years. Her hair was blonde and neatly braided around the front of her head in a way that reminded Harry of a crown. The woman was not thin, nor was she overly large, if Harry had had to have picked a word to describe her he would have said plump.

He tilted his head to the side and watched as she entered the room. He was quite certain he'd seen the woman before but couldn't quite remember where. Her face was rather plain, but her eyes were big and a rather pretty shade of blue. She was definitely a witch, Harry noted as Severus gestured for her to sit in a seat between him and Aunt Petunia. She was wearing purple witch's robes and Harry could see the handle of her wand poking out from one of her pockets.

"Charity, this is my family, Vernon, Dudley, Petunia, David, Helen, Hermione and Harry." Severus said, pointing to each one of them in turn as he said their names. "This is my... _girlfriend _Charity Burbage."

The woman, Charity smiled politely to them. Harry stood up, and, copying what he had seen Percy Weasley do countless times, he held out his hand and said, "It's lovely to meet you." Severus watched with narrowed as Harry and Charity shook hands. Harry glared at him indignantly and said to Charity, "Have I had the pleasure of meeting you before?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation and through the bond Harry felt her do the mental equivalent of stepping on his foot. She then smiled eagerly at Charity and, leaning over the table, said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor; I'm very much looking forward to taking your class next year. It'll be ever so interesting to learn about Muggles from the Wizarding perspective."

"Professor?" Both Harry and Dudley asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Did you even bother to find out about any of the subjects you signed up for?"

Harry crossed his arms in indignation. "Of course, what do you take me for?" In truth, Harry hadn't bothered to find out anything about any of the new subjects he would be taking. And, despite it all being rather helpful, Harry had ignored all of the advice he had been given, instead signing up for every lesson on offer so as not to be outdone by Hermione.

"Of course you did." Hermione said before turning back to Charity. "So did you meet Severus at school, Professor? How romantic, it's almost like in Romeo and Juliet."

"How is it almost like Romeo and Juliet?" Harry asked, not giving Charity a chance to answer Hermione's question.

Aunt Petunia, who had just entered the dining room carrying a plate of roast potatoes glared at him, but Harry, who was staring at Hermione in bemusement, didn't notice.

"Well, they're from opposing groups, aren't they?" Hermione said. Across the table, Severus was shifting uncomfortably in his chair whilst Charity blushed a violent shade of crimson. "Severus is the head of Slytherin and an ex-death eater, and Professor Burbage is the Muggle Studies professor and from what I've read of her books seems to be rather pro-Muggle. The death eaters hate Muggles, like with the Capulets and Montagues"

"And how does that make them like Romeo and Juliet?" Harry asked. "I've read that play and not only is the language really confusing, but its utter nonsense; it's not romantic at all, it's just stupid."

"The play shows how deeply Romeo loved Juliet and how they fought to be together."

"It's just silly, why would anyone kill themselves like he did at the end, they barely knew each other."

"So you'd never give your life for someone you love?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I jumped in front of that cutting hex Voldemort sent at you." Harry said, rolling up his sleeve so Hermione could see the scar that ran the length of his forearm. "I think I would, like my mum did, but I wouldn't do what they did, what good is it both of you being dead?"

"Because they we're so in love that they both felt they couldn't live without the other."

"Yeah, well, that's a load of rubbish too, isn't it? I mean, Romeo said at the start that he loved that Rosie girl, so obviously, he wasn't all that sure what love really was."

Hermione sniffed and added a Yorkshire pudding to the plate her mother had filled for her. "I pity the girl you end up with; you don't have a romantic bone in your body."

"That's not fair at all." Harry protested. "I thought you were supposed to be all clever and a realist, if you look at it objectively, then you can see its nonsense, no one falls in love that quick."

"You're not supposed to look at it objectively, it's a romantic tragedy."

"Yeah, a tragedy, so why are you comparing Severus and Charity's relationship to it?"

"I suppose that is a good point." Hermione conceded, not looking particularly happy about it.

Harry smiled happily at having, for the first time in what felt like years, proved Hermione wrong.

"You two will most certainly be an asset to my class; we spend a whole term studying Muggle literature." Charity said, watching Harry and Hermione bicker with a slightly indulgent smile. "And as I am in a relationship with your uncle, I see no reason for you to call me 'Professor' outside of school."

"You'll soon see that Harry and Hermione are both rather brilliant students, Hermione is the cleverest witch in her year as I'm sure you've heard Filius say in the staff room; I dare say the poor fellow feels rather put out by the fact that she was sorted into Gryffindor. Harry, of course, does just as well as Hermione because he can't bear to let her beat him in any subject." Severus said, beaming proudly at Hermione.

"That and the fact he has Hermione's notes to copy from." Dudley added with a grin as he poured liberal amounts of gravy all over his mashed potatoes.

"I beat Hermione in several subjects last year and that was with Wood forcing me to practice Quidditch every five minutes and Voldemort trying to kill me every other day."

"I'm still struggling to believe Quirrell would do such a thing. He and I both taught muggle studies for several years before he took his year off to travel." Charity shuddered. "To think you-know-who possessed him for a whole year." She shuddered again and then shook her head. "This really isn't a topic for discussion at the dinner table, I'm sorry."

"It's perfectly all right, dear." Aunt Petunia said smiling at Charity. "Dudley and Harry regularly discuss matters such as this at meal times; I'm afraid to say we're all rather used to it by now."

"Oh, I completely forgot. I've brought a couple of bottles of elf made wine to thank you for your hospitality." She pulled out her wand and then blushed. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked Aunt Petunia, nodding at her wand.

"Of course not, in fact I find it rather refreshing that you thought to ask." She shot a pointed look at Severus, who arched an eyebrow and shrugged indifferently, skewering a chunk of lamb on his fork and taking a bite of the meat.

* * *

**AN: A very big thanks to my beta, Bitch Goddess and also thanks again to everyone who reviewed and added me to favourites and alerts.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Seamus shivered, looking horrified. "You're kidding?"

"Would I lie to you?" Harry asked, flinging his leg over the arm of the sofa he was sharing with Hermione.

Seamus looked flatly at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"That was one time and it wasn't even a proper lie." Harry protested.

"It was twice, and as lies go, they were massive." Seamus said.

"They were just secrets, ones that I didn't tell you. Anyway, that's not the point; you can't tell anyone about Severus and Charity - it'll completely destroy his cover." Harry drummed his fingers against the arm of the sofa.

Seamus nodded seriously. "Of course I'll keep it a secret." He shivered again and said, "He wasn't in when you visited him on his birthday, do you think they were... _together_."

"It doesn't bare thinking about." Hermione said with a shake of her head. "It may be romantic, but well, it's Severus, isn't it?"

"Just the thought of Snape and Professor Burbage together; not a nice mental image at all." Seamus put his feet up on the table.

Harry laughed. "Well he isn't using love potion, I asked him about it."

"You asked him?" Seamus asked in a hushed, almost awed whisper.

Harry nodded. "Of course I did."

"Didn't he curse you?"

"Why on earth would he curse me? He was more upset that I'd gone to Hogsmeade and bought a potions book."

"He's Snape, everyone's scared of him; I don't know how you can accuse him of using a love potion." Seamus shook his head.

"He's our uncle, Harry's always known him. I don't think you realize how much of an influence he's had in Harry and Dudley's upbringing." Hermione said, leaning against Harry and curling her feet up onto the sofa.

"Yeah, apparently Aunt Petunia used to spoil Dudley rotten... she still does actually, just not quite as much. She also used to feed Dudley a lot of sweets and stuff, didn't refuse him anything. Well, Dud isn't exactly small, but Sev kind of moderated our diets; apparently, my mum always ate healthily." Harry sighed heavily and checked his watch. "I'd best be going to bed now, Quidditch practice first thing tomorrow."

Seamus nodded, a look of complete understanding on his face. "Of course, we really do need to beat Slytherin this year. Although, seeing as the head of Slytherin _practically raised you_, there won't be a conflict of interests will there?"

Harry pushed himself, legs first, over the arm of the sofa and stretched, flicking the fingers on his left hand up at Seamus in a rude hand gesture which would have earned him detention had any professor seen it.

Seamus chuckled lazily and reclined further in his chair. Rolling his eyes, Harry hugged Hermione goodnight and made his way to the spiral staircase, feeling a wave of disapproval wash over him from Hermione.

_OOOOO_

Despite his large workload and the extra Quidditch practices, Harry felt strangely happy as the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match grew closer. Wood had had them out on the pitch practicing every night for the past two weeks, and, despite the fact that he would be playing against Cedric, he was quietly confident about Gryffindor's chances at winning.

At half past eleven on the night before the Quidditch match, Harry donned his invisibility cloak and made his way to the portrait hole. He had arranged to meet Hermione and Cedric in the secret passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor, to add the finishing touches to the Polyjuice Potion.

Harry slipped through the portrait hole and down the corridor without a sound, quietly creeping past Filch, Lockhart, and Peeves without a sound. But as he arrived on the fourth floor corridor, Harry tripped over what looked like a thick black pipe stretched across the length of the corridor.

"Agh!" Harry landed on the corridor floor with a loud thud, his glasses flying from their perch on his nose and getting lost in the folds of his invisibility cloak.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, wincing as he heard the loud crunching sound of something being crushed under his left foot. Whipping off his cloak Harry took a step backwards to survey the damage. His glasses lay on the floor at his feet in a mangled mess, the right lens was cracked and the left arm had bent out at a right angle.

Harry sighed and picked them up, trying his hardest to bend the arm back so that he would be able to push them back onto his face and make his way to the mirror, where he was sure either Hermione or Cedric would be able to fix them for him.

The glass made a quiet crunching noise as Harry bent the arm, but fortunately, both lenses stayed in two whole pieces. As gently as he could, Harry slid the glasses back onto his face and bent to pick up his cloak. As he grasped the corner of his cloak, whilst at the same time trying to keep his head upright so as not to dislodge his precariously perched spectacles, Harry caught sight of what he had initially believed to be a long pipe. It was a snake, several metres long and thicker than Harry's thigh.

"Hiss?" Harry whispered in Parseltongue, wrapping his cloak around his body so that only his head was visible.

The Snake reared up and Harry was sure that if snakes could smile, Hiss would be smiling at him. "My friend, I have been looking for you."

Harry grinned and bent lower so that he could properly speak to the snake. "I thought you'd have gone into the forest by now, why're you still here?"

"There is great danger. A monstrosity lurks beneath the school. I had to warn you." Hiss said, curling up Harry's outstretched arm and up his body.

"A monst- Slytherin's monster? You know what Slytherin's monster is?" Harry asked, standing up slowly this time, having to balance both the immensely heavy snake and his broken glasses.

"An abomination." The snake hissed with venom, sounding, if possible for a snake, disgusted.

"What is it?" Harry asked setting off towards the mirror.

"Humans know him as 'the king of the serpents', though he is no lord of mine, nor any of my kin."

"'The king of the serpents'? Wait, you don't mean a basilisk? A basilisk is loose in the school."

The snake hissed in protest, Harry wasn't sure if it was because he had spoken the word 'basilisk' or if it was because he had sped up. Either way, Harry ignored the snake and broke into the run, reaching the mirror seconds later. He pulled the mirror aside and stepped into the corridor, quietly pulling it shut behind him.

Hermione screamed and almost dropped her handful of dried salamander scales into the bubbling cauldron. Cedric reached out his hand and took the ingredient from her.

"What?" Harry asked, looking around the passageway.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, blinking up at him in surprise.

Cedric snorted and put the salamander scales in a small glass jar. "Of course it's Harry." He turned to Harry, grinning, and asked, "You didn't realize the snake wasn't under the cloak did you?"

Harry blushed, thankful for the cover of his invisibility cloak. "Ah, yeah, I guess it's a good job I didn't pass any teachers." He unwound Hiss from around his torso and set him on the floor; he then pulled off his cloak and folded it up, sliding it into the pocket of his robes.

"Oh, Harry, your glasses." Hermione shuffled closer to him and pursed her lips disapprovingly. "You didn't get into another fight did you?"

"What?" Harry asked reaching up and touching his face. "Oh, yeah, I tripped over Hiss."

Hermione sighed and crawled around the cauldron, gesturing for Harry to sit. She then pulled her wand from the pocket of her robes and pointed it at his face. "Reparo."

There was a clicking sound and Harry's glasses knit themselves back together. Harry ran a hand endearingly through his friend's hair and smiled fondly at her. "You really are great, you know." He leant backwards so that he could lock eyes with both Hermione and Cedric. "I think I've just found out what Slytherin's monster is."

Cedric tilted his head to the side and looked at Hiss, intrigued. "The snake told you?"

"Yeah, he came to find me because he thought I ought to know." Harry ran his hand over Hiss' scales.

"So?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Hiss told me that 'the king of serpents' is living in the school, what should we do?" Harry chewed his lower lip.

"'The king of the serpents'? Harry, that's dreadful, we should have realized!" Hermione's lip trembled slightly and Harry put a comforting arm on her shoulder, concentrating as hard as he could on sending reassuring thoughts through the bond to her.

Cedric frowned. "'The king of serpents', what's that, a runespoor?"

Harry blinked, shocked at Cedric's lack of knowledge, he'd always been under the impression that Cedric knew everything. "No." Harry shook his head. "A basilisk, that's what's hiding in the school."

"A basilisk?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, I can't believe you didn't know that." Harry shook his head, slightly taken aback.

"A basilisk is the darkest of dark creatures, you expect me to know about them? Maybe I should ask how you and Hermione know about them."

Hermione laughed. "When we found about Harry being a parselmouth we did rather a lot of research on serpents, basilisks are a big part of that."

"Well, according to Hiss, snakes don't really like them." Harry said, glancing at the snake, which was curled on the floor next to him.

"So what do we do now?" Cedric asked, looking from Harry to Hermione. "You two do stuff like this all the time, right, investigating and saving the school?"

Harry looked at Hermione and smirked slightly. "We'll have to go to the library first."

Hermione's smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she stood up, rubbing her hands together, and said in a rather strained voice, "Come on, we'd better get to the restricted section, we'll need to find out more about basilisks and the founders before we go to Dumbledore. I know Aunt Petunia said we have to go to Severus about these things, but I think it would be best if we have all of the necessary information and have verified Harry's suspicions first." She paused and then continued, "It'll be fair if both of you spend the night doing this, if both seekers have spent the night up then you're evenly matched."

"I'm playing keeper tomorrow." Cedric shrugged and stood up, meeting Harry's eyes. "I'm still in though; we can't let something like that be loose in the school."

Harry nodded, feeling slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be able to test his skills against his older friend. "Looking into their eyes is supposed to be deadly; Merlin knows how Colin, Justin, and that cat survived. Chances are, though, that next time that creature is let out, it _will _kill."

"What about the potion?" Hermione asked, looking from the two boys to the bubbling cauldron.

"This is big Hermione; I don't think Malfoy had the guts to deal with a basilisk. That potion isn't going to do us any good." Harry looked away, pretending not to notice the crestfallen expression on her face. She was upset about the time wasted on the potion, he could feel it through the bond, but he didn't have time to cheer her up, not when the basilisk was still loose in the school endangering her life and everyone else's in the castle.

Feeling guilty Harry looked down at the floor and muttered, "Come on, we should set off. We'll have to go slow so we can keep the cloak over the three of us, Cedric you're quite tall so you'll have to crouch down a bit."

"I'll disillusion myself. It's not as good as your cloak, and I'm not all that good at it, but if I stay in the shadows and walk quite slowly no one will notice me... hopefully." Cedric tapped himself on the crown of his head and muttered, "Inobubilliamus."

Cedric's entire body began to slowly disappear, the change starting at his head and rolling down his body. Three seconds later Harry blinked, no longer able to see his friend. "Wow, that's so cool." He whispered in awe.

Harry heard Cedric's low chuckle and saw an almost imperceptible shift in the colouring of the passage's wall. "Not as cool as your cloak, this spell will wear off soon. And since I only learnt it this year and haven't practiced it very much it's not very powerful."

"Right." Harry nodded and stooped to pick up his cloak. "Come on." He flipped the cloak over and swung it over his shoulder, wrapping it around himself and Hermione in one swift and well practiced motion.

Under the cloak, Harry squeezed Hermione's hand tightly and led her to the back of the mirror, which he opened with a flick of his wand. The cool air of the corridor outside the passage way hit him and he flinched, not having realized how much heat the boiling cauldron generated.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Hermione's eyes dart fearfully to the shadows. He squeezed her hand tighter and looped his arm over her shoulder. "I won't let that basilisk get near you Hermione, I'll kill it myself if that's what I need to do to protect you." Squeezing Hermione tightly against his chest, Harry quickened his pace, not wanting to be out in the corridor any longer than necessary.

They made it to the library faster than Harry would have anticipated, usually, when sneaking around the school after hours, it took almost triple the usual time to reach any destination due to the need to check around every corner for teachers, and walk at half speed to remain as quiet as possible.

They headed first for the magical creatures section of the library. Sitting down at a secluded little table Harry whipped the cloak off of him and Hermione. There was a slight glimmer to the left and Harry caught sight of Cedric's outline.

"It's safe; you can lift the spell now." Harry said, looking up at his friend.

Cedric's form shifted again and he slowly reappeared, clutching an armful of books on magical creatures. "There you go." He dropped them onto the table and sat down opposite Hermione.

Hermione sifted through the heap, and dragging the thickest tome towards her, she pulled piece of parchment from her pocket and a Muggle fountain pen.

Harry shook his head in amusement. "Only you, Hermione, would keep a spare pen and parchment in your pocket, just in case."

She arched an eyebrow but said nothing, uncapping the pen and writing _Basilisk_ at the top of the page in her small neat handwriting. She underlined it then turned to the boys. "What we need to do is write down everything we know, or can find out about basilisks. If we do that then we will have a better chance at working out where it is hiding and how we can defeat it. Firstly we'll list the known victims."

"Well, there's Myrtle, she was killed. The cat; that does count, right? Creevey, Nick, and Justin. They're the only ones I know of." Harry counted the names off on his fingers.

"Where were the bodies found?" Cedric asked. "If we can work out which parts of the school the attacks take place in we can probably work out where the chamber is. Is there some kind of school map we could use to write on?"

"Not that we can get our hands on." Harry said shaking his head. "We'll just have to manage with writing them down on parchment."

"Right, well. We all know that Myrtle was killed in her bathroom, so I'll add that next to her name." Hermione said, jotting it down on her parchment.

"The cat, the cat was found outside Myrtle's bathroom; and well, we don't know where Colin was found. All I know is that he was on his way to visit me in the hospital wing, he had his camera." Harry sniffed and shook his head. "I bet he was going to get another embarrassing picture of me; he was all right, though, I don't think he'd even realize that he'd be able to make tonnes of money if he sold them to the Prophet or 'Witch Weekly'."

"Poor kid." Cedric said. "Nearly Headless Nick and Justin were found on the third floor, not too far away from the library."

Harry frowned. "So how on earth is a bloody great basilisk getting around the school without being noticed? They're meant to be massive those things and this one must be ancient."

_OOOOO_

Harry blinked awake, his neck hurt slightly from the awkward position he'd fallen asleep in, and his arm had gone numb from Hermione resting on it all night.

Checking his watch, Harry yawned and pushed himself up, straightening his glasses and looking around the empty library, confused. Hermione was leaning against him, her face resting on the parchment. Cedric sat across the table from them, his head propped up on a stack of books, eyes closed, and mouth slightly open.

It was strange how different his friends looked when asleep. Cedric looked so much younger; when awake he tried to always keep his composure as a proper pureblood heir should. Harry hadn't pegged Cedric as the type to drool when asleep, but obviously he was wrong. Suppressing a grin Harry turned to watch Hermione. Up until now, he hadn't realized that, for months, Hermione had been walking around with a slight frown permanently creasing her eyebrows together. Sleeping now, Hermione looked peaceful and happy, Harry's heart ached and he wished that she would always look like that; it would be a terrible shame to wake her.

Sighing Harry shook his friend awake. "Hermione, Hermione, we fell asleep. Its ten to nine, Hermione, wake up, we need to sort out the information we have so we can give it to Sev."

Hermione groaned and opened her eyes, slowly pushing herself up. The piece of parchment she'd fallen asleep on fell away, leaving Hermione's tidy handwriting printed in reverse on her cheek. Harry choked back a giggle and shifted around the table to shake Cedric awake. Hermione blinked blearily at Harry and picked up her pen, turning to stare blankly at the paper which had fallen from her face.

Cedric sat up with a start and looked around the library, eyes wide. "Oh, Merlin, we fell asleep."

Harry nodded as his friend wiped saliva from his cheek. "Yeah, the match starts in ten minutes."

"What? We need to set off now then, we might just make it to the pitch in time." Cedric said standing up quickly and swaying slightly.

Hermione stood up, still looking sleepy. "So what do we know?"

Harry pocketed his cloak and took Hermione's hand, setting off at a slow jog towards the exit. "It's a basilisk; I've been hearing it through the walls. The chamber is most likely on the second floor corridor, near Myrtle's bathroom and last time the person who opened the chamber was male."

Hermione nodded, looking down at the sheet as Harry dragged her down the corridor. "It's using pipes to get around the school."

"If you look at the basilisk indirectly it won't kill." Cedric said, coming to a halt. "We completely forgot about that. We can't just run around the school like this, if we see it we're dead."

Harry paused and felt a shiver run up his spine. "You're right, we're such idiots." He turned to a suit of armour and nodding his head politely at it as he tugged the sword loose. "We'll use this to peek around corners. Get behind me."

"No." Cedric tried to pry the sword from Harry's hand. "You're the only one who'll be able to speak to it and if you get petrified then there's no hope of stopping it, if I'm the one that gets petrified then at least you two will be able to make a run for it and warn the teachers."

Harry paused for a second and then nodded, letting go of the sword. "Okay, but be careful."

Cedric took the sword and inched towards the corner, holing the sword out in front of him and angling it so that he could see down the next corridor. "Clear, but keep your eyes down."

"Right." Harry pulled Hermione behind him and sent a wave of reassurance through the bond towards her.

They reached the next corner and Cedric paused for a second before, once again, calling, "Clear." They continued this way for almost ten minutes, rounding several more corners and heading down a flight of stairs.

Harry found himself gripping his wand tighter and tighter as they rounded each corner. Cedric yelled out in surprise and Harry stopped, closing his eyes tight turning to Hermione pulling her against him and allowing her to bury her head against his chest. "Ced, you all right?"

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing you nutter? Pointing that great sword at me, you really are an arse, you know that?" Harry heard an angry voice roar and felt relief wash over him.

"Shay?" Harry opened his eyes and turned to the source of the shout. "Oh, Seamus, thank Merlin. You frightened the life out of me."

"Frightened the life outta you? What about us? We come around the corner and that dick is pointing a sword at us, who uses a sword in this day and age?" Seamus gritted his teeth and glared at Cedric.

"Where were you last night?" Dean asked, sounding relieved. "We were terrified that something had happened to you."

Harry nodded. "Understandable, more so now we know what we're up against."

"You know what the monster is?" Ron asked, gulping.

"A basilisk, it's using the plumbing to get around the school. That's who was talking to me through the walls, a dirty great snake." Harry said.

"A basilisk?" Neville yelped, turning around and looking over his shoulder as thought expecting the serpent to be lying in wait behind him.

Harry nodded gravely. "We need to go down to the Quidditch pitch now, to tell the teachers."

Ron shook his head. "I'll meet you there; I need to go find my sister. She wasn't in the common room this morning and now we know what the monster is..." He trailed off, his face palling.

"It's too dangerous, Ron." Harry said in a hushed voice, taking a step closer to his friend.

Ron held his chin up defiantly and his eyes met Harry's. "Are you really going to try and stop me?" His eyes flicked slightly to the left where Hermione was standing behind Harry. "Would _you _let someone stop you if Hermione was on her own in the castle?"

Harry felt his shoulders sag, Ron was the only one of his friends who truly understood what Hermione meant to Harry; perhaps it was because he was the only one in the group who had a younger sister. Harry inhaled deeply and nodded his head once. "You're right, it'd be wrong of me to try and stop you, not when I've had the lot of you trailing Hermione all year."

Ron grinned. "No need to worry anyway, mate. The basilisk has been in the school all year, it's no more dangerous now than it was before; the only difference is that now we know what's in the school, and that Ginny's not even going to be able to go to the toilets alone, especially not when Perce hears about the basilisk."

Hermione hugged Ron and said, "She'll not approve of your protectiveness. Take something reflective with you, at least then if you run into it you'll only be petrified."

Hermione quietly muttered a spell and pulled one of the gas lamps from the wall, setting it on the floor and kneeling next to it. She pointed her wand at the broken wall lamp and transfigured it into a small hand mirror. Hermione handed the mirror to Ron who nodded in thanks and turned, running back down the corridor the way he had come, stopping at the corner to peek around before disappearing out of sight.

"Right." Harry shared a look with Neville who nodded slightly.

"Might be a good Idea, though I doubt it'll go down well." Neville said looking slightly dubious.

Harry looked at Cedric. "We need to go see my uncle so... would you mind walking Dean and Hermione back to Gryffindor tower?"

"Harry, that's not fair, it's no more dangerous today than it was yesterday." Hermione said crossly.

"Today we know that Slytherin's monster can kill, if they hadn't been so lucky Justin and Colin would be dead. You might not be that lucky and if this thing's going for Muggleborns, you two are in danger. If Dumbledore doesn't shut the school I'm going to have to ask Sev to send you home." Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling anger rise up through the bond from Hermione.

"You wouldn't. Harry, you can't get me sent away from school." Her voice was almost pleading.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I won't risk your life needlessly. Even if it made you hate me, I wouldn't change my mind." Harry gulped, trying to hold back tears, Hermione really did love Hogwarts, it was the only place she really got the attention she deserved. Aunt Helen and Uncle Dave, despite caring deeply about her, were very focused on their jobs and rarely had time for their daughter and no matter how much Aunt Petunia treated Hermione as the daughter she'd never had, Hermione had never really felt as though she properly belonged. Harry gulped, his voice taking a hard edge. "We're not discussing it; whilst the Chamber of Secrets is open you can't stay here."

Hermione clenched her jaw but said nothing, her shoulders drooping in resignation.

Harry turned to Dean. "Dean, it's not safe for you to be out either. Please go with Hermione." Cedric gripped his sword tighter and Harry smiled gratefully up at him. "It might be a good idea for you to stay in Gryffindor tower; I don't like the idea of anyone walking around the school alone."

"I'm not sure; it depends on what the teachers say. Stay safe, mate, and don't do anything too dangerous." Cedric rubbed his chin and turned to Dean and Hermione. "Stay behind me, I'll go ahead with the sword. If anything happens to me close your eyes and head back the way we came." He rolled up his sleeves and made his way to the corner, holding the sword out in front of him, gesturing for Hermione and Dean to follow.

As Hermione, Cedric and Dean disappeared around the corner Seamus looked around. "We don't have anything to use to look around the corners."

"I'll be able to hear it coming, I think. If you two close your eyes and we link our hands together until we get to the Entrance Hall we should be safe."

_OOOOO_

When Harry, Seamus, and Neville reached the Quidditch pitch, they found it completely deserted. Being only half an hour late for the match, Harry couldn't understand why no one was there. In the end, the trio decided to make their way to the staff room where Harry was sure they would be able to find at least one teacher.

They reached the staff room forty minutes later and found it empty. Feeling confused, Harry took a seat on one of the teacher's sofas and looked around. "Where is everyone?"

Neville shrugged looking almost tearful. "I don't like it, the school feels... wrong."

"It's eerie; every noise we make seems to echo for ages." Seamus said in little more than a whisper, despite there being no need for them to be quiet. "You don't think everyone in the school is in on a massive prank do you?"

Harry shook his head, reaching out through the bond to Hermione and feeling an unsettling amount of distress. "Something's happened, something really bad."

"Like another attack?" Neville asked with a slight whimper.

"I don't know; we need to find a teacher, soon." Harry said, sighing and looking around.

"You'll have no luck here." A low mournful voice said from the fireplace.

Harry looked around so quickly that his glasses slid down his nose and into his lap. Blushing slightly, he picked them up and wiped them clean on his robes before pushing them back onto his face, and looking up to see the Bloody Baron floating in front of the fire.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked trying not to flinch under the ghost's menacing glare.

"There's been another series of attacks. The school is in a state of panic, everyone is frightened, ghosts, staff, and students alike. Of course, the Slytherins have all been treated most unfairly, the students have been confined to their common room along with Professor Snape - the minister's doing, of course ,and the governors are calling for the headmaster's resignation."

"They want Dumbledore to resign?" Neville asked. "They can't do that, if Dumbledore leaves Slytherin's heir will start killing."

"Oh, but it has already happened, a girl was found dead this morning." The Baron said rattling his chains menacingly. "What other reason would the governors have to send the headmaster away?"

"Dead?" Neville echoed his face pale.

"Yes, she was found outside the library; and if you believe it, that's not even the worst of it. A girl has been taken into the chamber itself and another student has been petrified. It's a sad day for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

"Gryffindor?" Harry asked in a choked whisper, feeling suddenly very sick. "Who was it?"

"The two dead students are Penelope Clearwater and Ginevra Weasley, the boy who was petrified is Ronald, Ginevra's brother." The ghost said sadly, his chains rattling quietly.

Harry felt his heart sink, Ginny and Ron? Harry wondered if their brothers knew yet. Ginny was the family's princess, all six of her brothers fiercely protective of her, Harry didn't even know what he'd have done if something that terrible happened to his brother or Hermione.

Eyes stinging Harry blinked back tears and asked. "Ginny's dead?"

"I cannot say for sure, the poor girl was taken into the chamber itself. Professor Dumbledore found writing on the wall in the second floor corridor, under the first message, 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'." The Bloody Baron said, his voice echoing eerily around the empty staff room.

Neville stood up, his eyes sparkling fiercely. "We'll get her back then. We can find the chamber and rescue her."

Seamus stood up shakily and nodded. "Even if the monster has killed her, we can't leave her body down there." He paused and shook his head. "She won't be dead; we'll find her in the chamber and rescue her."

Wiping a tear from his cheek, Harry sighed; he didn't see how Ginny could still be alive but not wanting to disappoint his friends who were watching him expectantly, Harry nodded. "Yeah, we'll bring her back."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After spending several long minutes going back over Hermione's notes on the basilisk from the night before, Harry decided it would be wise for them to begin their search for the Chamber of Secrets with Moaning Myrtle.

As all of the teachers were either in Dumbledore's office, discussing the morning's events, or watching their students, Harry, Seamus, and Neville came across no one as they made their way up the two flights of stairs to Myrtle's bathroom. The trio marched down the corridor, pausing for a second to read the message about Ginny Weasley, which shone on the wall under the original message.

Harry stepped forward, in front of his friends, and laid a shaky hand on the handle of the door. He turned, pressing his ear to the wood and listening.

Not hearing any noises within, Harry looked up at Neville and Seamus. "Ready?"

In a hoarse whisper, Neville said, "Yeah."

Taking only a second to gather his courage, Harry pushed to door open and stepped into the bathroom.

He saw no one as he and his friends entered the room, but when he whispered the ghost's name, she appeared, floating through the wall of one of the stalls at the far end of the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes at Seamus as she neared the boys and asked, "What do _you _want?"

"Last time we saw you, you said that when you died all you saw was yellow eyes. Do you remember anything else about them? We think that perhaps you were killed by a basilisk and we need to find it." Harry asked, looking around the bathroom for any sign of the basilisk.

Myrtle shook her head. "I came out of my stall and there were the eyes."

"Do you remember where you saw them?" Harry pressed.

"Somewhere over there_._" Myrtle said, waving her hand lazily in the direction of one of the sinks opposite her toilet.

Neville hurried over to the sink, bending and inspecting the floor and pipes under the basin. Harry bent and inched closer to Neville. "What're you doing?"

"Looking for an opening, a fissure, a handle, anything that might indicate we're close to the chamber." Neville said, his voice echoing around the bathroom.

"Right." Harry said as he and Seamus joined Neville at the sink.

The three boys examined every inch of the sink, it appeared to be normal. However, when Seamus tried to turn on one of the taps no water flowed.

"Hey, look at this." Seamus gestured in the direction of something on the side of one of the copper taps.

Harry stood up, bent in closer to inspect the tap and whispered, "It looks like a snake."

"Yeah, that's what I thought; you don't think it's there to show where the entrance to the chamber is? I mean the snake _is_ using the plumbing to get about, isn't it?" Seamus looked up at Harry, his eyes sparkling hopefully. "Try and say something to it in Parseltongue."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Parseltongue, tell it to open or something- in snake language." Seamus urged taking a step back so as to allow Harry to better see the engraved snake.

"Uh, okay... open up." Harry said dubiously, looking down at the tap.

Neville, who had stood up whilst Harry and Seamus were inspecting the tap, shook his head. "No, that was English. How do you normally do it?"

"I don't know." Harry said shrugging. "It needs to be a real snake, I think. I've never chosen to speak Parseltongue, half the time I don't even know I'm doing it."

"How about..." Neville pulled out his wand and muttered. "_Lumos._" Bending in closer, Neville held his the light close to the etched snake and shifted the wand tip from left to right, casting a shadow over the snake.

If Harry squinted and tilted his head slightly to the left, the shadows cast by Neville's wand made the snake look almost alive. "_Open up."_

_At once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into._

Harry looked down the pipe into the blackness and lit the tip of his wand. "How far down do you suppose it goes?"

Neville shrugged. "Only one way to find out." He took a step forward and Harry stopped him, placing an arm on his shoulder.

"Wait." Harry took off his shoe, and, holding it by the laces at arm's length, dropped it down the pipe. Harry leant over the hole and watched it disappear out of sight, listening as it slid down the pipe for several long seconds before landing with a quiet, echoing thud.

"The pipe must go miles under the school." Neville mused, his voice quivering slightly. He took a shaky step forward, lowered himself into the hole and before Harry or Seamus could stop him, he let go, sliding down the pipe and out of sight.

Harry looked from the hole to Seamus. "I'll go next. Wait a couple of seconds before you follow. I want to be able to get out of the way before you squash me."

Seamus nodded and Harry sat down on the edge of the opening, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu as, for the second time since coming to Hogwarts, he dropped down through the hole, plummeting into the depths of the school.

Harry felt slightly sick as he slid down the pipe; the only thing he could compare it to was the water slide at the local swimming pool where he lived, only instead of water, a thick, foul smelling slime clung to the walls and dripped sluggishly down the pipe.

He heard a loud echoing thud as Seamus dropped into the pipe. Harry twisted his head around to see how close behind him Seamus was, but only caught a glimpse of his friend's silhouette, blocking the light at the top of the tunnel, before he slid around a sharp twist in the pipe and could no longer see anything behind him.

The pipe seemed to go on forever; Harry felt fear rise up in his chest as a sudden horrible thought struck him. What if the pipe didn't ever end? What if he just stayed there sliding down the dirty, slimy pipe forever? Harry felt his chest constrict as the horrible thoughts swirled in his head.

Just as Harry felt he was going to throw up from the overwhelming amount of anxiety, the pipe began to level out. Harry shot out of the end of the pipe and for several seconds he soared through the air before landing on the damp floor with a loud and rather painful thud.

Rubbing his bruised back, Harry clambered to his feet, trying his hardest to keep his shoeless foot of off the ground. Neville was standing slightly to the left of the mouth of the pipe, looking around the tunnel with a slightly nauseated look on his face.

Harry held his wand up above his head and looked around. Harry spotted his trainer lying several meters in front of the mouth of the pipe and sighed. He put his wand in his mouth and rested his hand against the wall for balance as he began to hop towards his shoe.

Harry picked up the slimy, wet shoe and, shaking it slightly to get rid of some of the dampness, he slid it onto his foot, grimacing as ice-cold water seeped through his sock. He bent to tie his shoe, wondering, with mild amusement, what the Daily Prophet would say about him if he got himself killed because he tripped over an untied shoelace.

There was a whooshing noise behind him and Harry turned just in time to see Seamus fly out of the end of the pipe. Harry yelled out in pain as Seamus crashed into him, sending him face first onto the floor.

Groaning, Harry rolled over and punched Seamus in the side. Seamus sat up and rolled his eyes at him. "I can't believe you stayed in front of the pipe." His voice echoed eerily around the cavernous tunnel.

Harry glared at his friend who was still sitting across his legs. "I can feel water soaking through my robes... ugh, it's reached my boxers. Get off me before I feed you to the basilisk."

Neville sighed and made his way over to the two boys, helping Seamus to his feet before both boys helped pull Harry up. He put his finger to his lips and looked at Harry and Seamus. "Lumos. Come on we need to find Ginny."

The tunnel was dark and even with the combined light of three wands Harry could barely see anything. "Don't forget, if you see anything move, close your eyes."

The shadows on the slimy walls were massive and frightening. Harry shivered, thankful that Hermione was locked up, safe in Gryffindor tower.

Their footsteps echoed ominously through the tunnel as the three boys walked cautiously forward. Somewhere deeper in the tunnels Harry could hear a soft, rhythmic dripping noise, which along with the echoes of his, Neville's and Seamus' footfalls made it difficult for Harry to listen for other sounds. Every few metres one of the boys would stop and look around, raising his wand above his head before continuing.

Something made a loud crunching noise near where Neville was standing. Harry froze, clutching his wand tighter in his hand. Barely moving his lips he whispered, "What was that?"

"Th-there's something under my foot." Neville said, his voice quavering. Harry saw the shadows on the wall move slightly and realized that Neville must have lowered his wand.

Harry, fearing that if he turned around he would see something truly terrible, closed his eyes tightly. "C-can you see what it is?"

Neville exhaled loudly, in what Harry assumed was relief. "It's just a skull, some rodent's, I think."

Though still terrified, Harry felt a small amount of relief wash over him. "Good, I was frightened it was..." Harry shivered but didn't finish his sentence.

Something touched Harry on the shoulder and he flinched, looking around to see Seamus's hand resting on him. "We'll find her and bring her back."

Harry nodded weakly, still worried that they wouldn't find Ginny alive. "Y-yeah." Harry breathed in deeply, holding his breath for several seconds before exhaling as he'd seen Hermione do countless times before exams. Despite the deep calming breaths he was taking, Harry's wand quivered, he looked to the left and saw Neville's wand shaking in much the same way.

"Come on." This time Seamus took the lead, stepping in front of Harry and Neville.

Harry followed Seamus several metres up the tunnel before they came to a halt. "There's something up there."

Harry held his wand up and squinted into the darkness. _Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn't moving._

"You don't think it's the basilisk do you?" Neville breathed, taking a step forward.

"I-I don't know." Harry said. "_Hello?_" He hissed in Parseltongue. There was no answer and Harry took a step closer. "_Hello, is- are yo__u__ Slytherin's monster?" _He paused and again there was no answer. "Stay here." Harry told Neville and Seamus. "I'm going to get a closer look."

Harry inched forward, holding his wand at arm's length in front of him. _The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least._

"The basilisk must have shed its skin." Harry said, his voice coming out in little more than a hoarse whisper. Harry turned and repeated himself, this time his words audible.

"Merlin," Neville said weakly, stepping closer to Harry, "that thing's massive."

The three boys edged around the snake's skin, being careful not to touch it. Harry felt the sudden urge to laugh as he took a shaky step away from the skin. He was supposed to be a Gryffindor, the bravest of students, and yet, here he was, standing in an empty tunnel, coated in slime and shaking fearfully from head to toe.

Choking back his desperation to both run away and laugh, Harry took another step forward. "Come on." He led his two friends deeper into the Labyrinth of tunnels.

_Every nerve in Harry's body was tingling unpleasantly. He wanted the tunnel to end, yet dreaded what he'd find when it did. And then, at last, as they crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds._

_Harry approached his throat very dry. He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker._

_"Open," said Harry, in a low, faint hiss._

_The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight._

Shaking from head to toe, Harry took a step into the chamber, hearing the footsteps of his two friends as they followed him.

Despite his fear, Harry paused for a moment to admire the magnificent chamber; it was twice the size of the great hall, with a high arching ceiling, which appeared to be held up by several towering stone pillars. Stone snakes, thicker than Harry's body, coiled their way up the pillars, and in the soft, flickering green light that illuminated the chamber, they seemed to be moving, writhing their way up and down the pillars.

At the end of the chamber stood an immense statue of a man who Harry assumed to be Salazar Slytherin himself. Harry had to crane his neck just to be able to see the statue's face. The man looked ancient, much older even than Dumbledore.

Harry tilted his head back and examined the statue. Slytherin's appearance had definitely taken him by surprise. He'd always imagined Slytherin to somehow look evil; Harry wasn't even entirely sure what an evil person would look like, but what he could say for certain was that he had not imagined Slytherin to look like a stern grandfather. He had a long thin beard, which though carved out of stone Harry assumed to be either grey or white. His robes were rather extravagant, he wore several rings and a pendant hung around his neck. Harry couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Slytherin's hat even had what appeared to be a peacock's feather attached to it. He daren't even think about how long the statue would have taken to carve; Dean would have most certainly have loved to have had a look around the chamber.

So enthralled by the impressive chamber, it took Harry several seconds to spot the small, red-haired body lying at the feet of the statue.

"Ginny!" Harry shouted, forgetting to be quiet, his voice reverberating around the cavernous chamber. He sprinted the length of the chamber dropping to his knees as he reached her.

Harry heard Neville drop to the floor next to him, his wand clattering against the stone floor as he reached out to grab her hand. "She's alive. I can feel her pulse."

Harry found it hard to believe that the girl on the floor could be alive; her face was chalk white and cold, her body limp and seemingly lifeless. "Ginny, come on. Wake up... Neville, are you sure there's a pulse? I- she..." Frantically, Harry pressed his ear against her chest.

"She's alive." A soft male voice said from behind Harry.

Harry jumped, not recognizing the voice, and whipped around to see who it was. A tall, dark-haired boy was standing across the chamber, leaning against the nearest pillar and watching them with pursed lips.

"How- who are you?" Harry asked, jumping to his feet and clutching his wand tightly.

The boy smiled in annoyingly superior way which reminded Harry of Draco Malfoy. "Tom Riddle. It's an _honour_ to meet you, Mr. Potter."

Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as the boy spoke. He kept his wand raised as the stranger took a step towards him; the boy was blurry and almost translucent looking. The name 'Tom Riddle' sounded strangely familiar to Harry, although he couldn't remember where he'd heard it. Just as he was about to open his mouth, to ask the boy for more information, Harry heard Seamus speak from behind him.

"Tom Riddle? You're the one who turned in Hagrid."

"Ah, so you've heard of me." Riddle said, tilting his head to the side and watching them with mild interest.

"What?" Harry asked immediately, feeling very confused. "You can't be Tom Riddle; he's got to be at least sixty, you're barely sixteen."

Riddle's pleasant smiled twisted into a smirk but he didn't speak. "Are you a ghost?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed past the three boys and Ginny at a small black diary which was lying open at the feet of Slytherin's statue.

"But that's Ginny's diary." Harry said still feeling very confused. "How can your memory be preserved in there?"

"Harry, we can speak to him later." Neville said. "We need to get out of here, now."

Harry nodded and took a step back, not wanting to turn his back on Riddle. "Can you two pick her up?"

"Have you seen my wand?" Neville asked, sounding suddenly very panicked. "It was just here a second ago."

Harry looked down at the ground where he'd just seen Neville place his wand. He looked back up and saw Riddle, back leaning against the pillar, and twirling Neville's wand idly between his fingers.

"Give Neville his wand back, we need to get out of here. There's a basilisk, it's already killed a girl."

_"It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly._

"What?" Harry paused, starting to feel more annoyed than confused. "Look, it doesn't matter. Give Neville his wand back, we need to get out of here _now_!"

Riddle smiled mockingly and took a step towards them. "Or what? What are you going to do, Harry Potter?"

"What do you mean? I don't think you understand how much danger we're in." Harry said furiously. "We're in the _Chamber of Secrets_ and we need to get out."

"Oh, I know where we are, but we are not leaving yet. I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter, a chance to speak to you. You shouldn't have brought your friends here, now none of you can leave."

Harry looked down at Seamus and Neville who had stopped trying to carry Ginny and were fearfully watching the exchange between Harry and Riddle.

"We can talk later." Harry said, looking back up at Riddle. "If you want to stay then do, I don't care, but I'm taking my friends, now."

"We will talk now, Harry, and if you try to leave, I will kill your friends." Riddle said in such a pleasant manner that Harry had to pause and think about what he had just said to him.

"You, you're Slytherin's heir." Harry stammered, shocked. "What have you done to Ginny?"

"Now that is an interesting question." said Riddle taking another step towards Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Ginny. "I suppose you could say that Ginny has done this to herself, after all it was she who spilled all of her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, not lowering his wand.

"My diary - her diary - she's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all of her inconsequential little worries." His voice took on a high pitched mocking tone as he mimicked Ginny. "'Oh, Tom, what if I don't get sorted into Gryffindor? What if people don't like me? Tom, I don't know how I'm going to do all of this homework, I don't know nearly as much magic as everyone else. Oh Tom, why can't I be brave like Ron?'" He sighed softly. "What trivial things bothered her; you wouldn't believe how quickly her worries became tiresome."

"What did you do to her?" Harry asked, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

Riddle smiled. "I did nothing, she did it all to herself. Don't you see Harry? Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets; it was she who set the basilisk on the squib's cat, the Mudbloods, and her own brother. Ginny Weasley is the one responsible for the half-blood's death_. Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. _

_I wish you could have seen her new diary entries… far more interesting, they became… __'__Dear Tom, I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me… There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad… I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!' It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. _Of course, much to her annoyance, it was quickly returned to her and after that, she daren't attempt to dispose of it again. Of course, when my basilisk killed the half-blood I had no choice but to bring my plans forward, bring Ginny down here, and begin my return to power before they closed the school."

"How-how could you? She trusted you, why would you do that to her? She's just a little girl." Harry said quietly, his voice shaking with suppressed rage.

"I did what I had to. You see, the blood traitor brat told me everything about you, Harry, the whole captivating story." Riddle glanced down at Harry's scar, his eyes darkening a fraction. "And so I set myself a new goal, to come face to face with you; you see, originally my plan was to continue the great Salazar Slytherin's work- to purge the school of all filth. But then I heard about you, Harry, how at the age of one you defeated Lord Voldemort, how at the age of eleven you once again defied him, and so I ask you, Harry Potter, how you, an unremarkable twelve year old boy, are still alive?"

"But why?" Harry asked quietly. "What would you care? Voldemort was after your time."

"That, Harry Potter, is where you are wrong. Voldemort is my past, present, and future."

Riddle smiled slowly and pulled Neville's wand from his pocket and _began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:_

_TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE_

_Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:_

_I AM LORD VOLDEMORT_

* * *

**AN: Thanks to Bitch Goddess and all who reviewed and added this story to favourites or alerts. There may be a bit more of a wait than normal for the next chapter as I'm going away and will not be taking my laptop, and my iPad doesn't let me upload documents to fanfiction. **

**Thanks**

**-beksta**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"What?" Harry whispered, staring numbly at the four words floating in the air in front of him.

Riddle laughed his high, cold laugh and said, "I am Lord Voldemort. I killed your parents, Harry, and I will kill you. Did you truly believe I would keep the name of a foul Muggle who abandoned his wife when he learnt of her magic? No, you see, Harry, I am Slytherin's one true heir, and so I fashioned myself a new name. A name I knew would one day instil fear in all those who dared to speak it. I will return, stronger and more powerful than before, even now I am regaining my strength, as I become stronger, Ginny becomes weaker. She will soon be dead. Now I ask you again, Harry Potter, how _you_ managed to defeat me, the greatest and most powerful wizard in the world?"

Harry shook his head slowly, trying to clear his thoughts. "You're not- you never will be the greatest wizard in the world. Your arrogance killed you, and no doubt, you'd make the same mistake if you could go back and re-do it. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Tom, but you'll never be as great as Albus Dumbledore. Even when you were at the height of your power, you never once tried to defy him. It doesn't matter what you do, even if you succeed in coming back tonight you'll never be as strong as Dumbledore. And you know what, Tom?" Harry taunted, taking another step backwards and tightening his grip on his wand. "Dumbledore's a half-blood too, just like you, just like me. You can change your name all you like but that's not going to change the fact that your father was a '_filthy_ _M__uggle'_."

Riddle's smiled vanished to be replaced with a very angry glare. "How dare you." He raised Neville's wand and pointed it at Harry, the corners of his lips turning up in a cruel smile.

Harry looked down at his friends. "Run."

Harry had just helped Neville to his feet and was about to bend to lift Ginny when he heard Riddle say very calmly, "Crucio."

Harry had never felt such pain, not when he'd broken his leg, or even when he'd passed out trying to stop Quirrel from stealing the Philosopher's Stone. The pain was endless; it felt like every bone in his body was on fire. His agonized screams rang out through the chamber, echoing off of the pillars. Harry tried to clench his jaw shut to stop himself from screaming and tasted blood. He just wanted it to end, he wanted to just black out, even death would be welcome if it would just stop the burning.

The pain stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. Harry rolled over gasping for air, realizing that whilst he'd been under the curse he'd bitten almost completely through his lower lip.

Harry pushed himself slowly to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. Neville was watching Harry with a horrified, almost frightened expression on his face, and Seamus had scrambled to Harry's side and was now standing in front of him with his wand pointed at Riddle.

Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor, Harry took a step towards Riddle, who smiled pleasantly and opened his mouth, freezing before he could speak.

_Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar._

_A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle._

_A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye._

_The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle._

_"That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it._

_"Fawkes?" Harry breathed, _he wasn't sure if what he said was even understandable with his bleeding lip_._

_"And that —" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat —"_

Harry looked down at the thing at his feet, noting that it was indeed the Sorting Hat. Keeping his eyes on Riddle, Harry bent and picked up the hat before passing it behind him to Neville who accepted it, his eyes wide and almost haunted looking.

_Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once._

_"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"_

Harry didn't answer. He didn't know why Fawkes was there, but a comforting warmth had spread through his body when he had landed on his shoulder, his hand stopped stinging and his legs didn't feel nearly as wobbly as they had before.

"Now, Harry." Riddle said calmly. "Twice in your past - my future - we have met, tell me how you survived."

"You brought about your own downfall. You believed in a ridiculous prophecy, which, all things considered, Tom, was rather stupid of you. You marked me as your equal and in doing so sealed your own fate." Harry laughed dryly. If he could just distract Riddle for enough time, Neville and Seamus could get Ginny out of the chamber. "Your weak, Riddle, you don't understand love. You think you're the most brilliant wizard alive but you'll never achieve brilliance, you have no friends, no one loves you. All you have, Tom, are enemies and those too frightened to oppose you. I've seen you as you are now and you're a disgrace, hiding away from the world. You think Muggles are weak, but you're weaker, you're powerless, and disgusting." Harry spat out, glancing at his friends to see Seamus staring at him wide-eyed and with horrified expression on his face.

Harry widened his eyes, trying to tell Seamus, without words, to take Ginny and Neville and run. Turning back to Riddle, Harry sniffed and said in his best aristocratic drawl, in imitation of Draco Malfoy, "You don't frighten me, Tom, you can torture me and kill me, but that's not going to change anything. You'll still always be the son of a _'filthy __M__uggle'_ who was defeated by a _'__M__udblood' _and her one year old son."

Riddle's smile disappeared and his face contorted into an ugly snarl. "I will make you pay for such insolence, Harry Potter." His voice was little more than a hiss. His eyes twinkling with malice, Riddle raised Neville's wand again. Harry tensed; he had lowered his wand earlier when speaking to Riddle, and couldn't see any reason to raise it again, whatever curse Riddle sent at him he was fairly certain that there was no hope in trying to block it.

Harry closed his eyes as Riddle hissed, "Crucio." He flinched but didn't feel any pain. For a second, he thought that Riddle must have missed, and then he heard Neville's terrible cry of pain.

Harry blinked, not daring to turn his back on Riddle to look at Neville. "No. Stop, _please_." Neville's screams grew louder and Harry felt a knot form in his stomach. "Let him go, please- he didn't do anything, it's me you want." Harry stepped closer to Riddle and raised his wand. Pointing it at Riddle, his aim wasn't brilliant, but somehow Harry's jet of blue light hit its target, sending Riddle flying off his feet and into one of the stone pillars.

Though he collided violently with the column, Riddle didn't make a sound, there was no crash, no cry of pain; he didn't even fall to the floor, he seemed to just bounce off of the stone. "You see, Harry Potter, love makes you weak. I tortured your friend for barely five seconds and already you offered yourself up to me. _Expulso._"

The floor in front of Harry exploded and he was blasted off his feet, Fawkes flew from his shoulder squawking, and Harry was sent sprawling towards Riddle whilst Seamus was blasted in the direction of Slytherin's statue. "I am not yet returned to a fully human body so you cannot harm me. I, however, have the power to harm you and I can do so without even raising my wand against you. I do not need to see inside your mind to know what your answer would be if I asked you which of your friends you would like me to kill first."

Harry frowned, confused, and Riddle's smile grew. "I am quite sure that you would offer yourself up to me, Harry, however, I shan't kill your friends, instead we'll play a game. You say I'm weak, well let us see who is more powerful, Harry Potter." Riddle laughed his high cold laugh, which echoed around the chamber. "Let us match your love and friendship against me, Lord Voldemort, and the powers which have been passed down to me from the great Salazar Slytherin himself."

Riddle glanced in amusement from Neville, who was laying on the floor next to Ginny, his head bleeding from somewhere, Harry assumed, he must have hit it when writhing under the Cruciatus Curse, to Seamus who was climbing unsteadily to his feet. _"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."_

There was an echoing crack of splitting stone and Harry wheeled around, horror struck; Slytherin's gigantic statue was moving, the mouth began opening wider and wider until Harry was staring into a great black hole. Harry realized what was happening a second before he saw the giant serpent stirring in the darkness. "Seamus, get behind the statue's legs and close your eyes." Harry didn't get a chance to properly register Seamus's horrified expression before he turned to Neville. "Put that hat on your head, pull it down past your eyes, and try and drag Ginny out of here. I'll hold it off and send Seamus after you as soon as it's safe."

Neville opened his mouth, a defiant expression on his face. "Harry, I can help, you can't fight Riddle and the basilisk alone."

"Look, I'm not arguing, I'm the only one who can talk to it, and we need to get Ginny to safety." The snake was beginning to rise out of the mouth, looking almost like a thick, black tongue.

"If we can't destroy that diary then there's no point in taking Ginny anywhere."

Harry gritted his teeth in annoyance, but seeing no point in arguing he conceded. "Fine, but at least cover your eyes."

Riddle smiled in amusement as he leant against a pillar, tapping a beat against stone with Neville's wand. "So all four of you are condemned; I suppose the only question we have left to ask is how long you will last. Poor Ginny has little more than half an hour; do you think you will die before or after her?"

Harry closed his eyes tightly shut as _something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder — he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice:_

_"Kill him."_

Harry could hear the monster's heavy body slithering across the slimy floor. Opening his eyes only a fraction, Harry gripped his wand tightly, aiming it at the basilisk's face. He knew very few spells and fewer still would be useful against the basilisk. "_Expulso_." Harry's spell wasn't nearly as powerful as Riddle's; the basilisk reared its head back, hissing angrily. Though the spell had very little effect, it gave Harry an idea, if he could just damage the basilisk's eyes then it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous.

"_Expulso_." This time the spell hit the basilisk's mouth, several of the serpent's fangs were blasted away, Harry ducked as they flew in all directions, one of them soaring only inches above Harry's head.

Harry scrambled backwards, away from the snake. His heart was pounding violently against his rib cage and Harry wondered if, even blinded, the snake would be able to hear him anyway.

Across the chamber, Harry heard Neville's gasp of pain. "Neville?" Harry called, turning his head frantically in the direction where he'd heard the gasp. "Are you allright?"

"There- there was a sword in the hat." Neville called back, sounding dazed.

"Neville, are you allright?" Harry shouted, still trying to scramble away from the snake.

"Yeah, I put the hat on and the sword fell on my head."

"Are you allright? Have you hit your head?" Harry asked, feeling suddenly sick with worry. Neville sounded almost delusional, if he'd hit his head hard then he'd be easy prey for the snake.

"No- I mean the sword hit my head, but I'm okay."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked trying to make his way over to where he could hear Neville's voice.

"What do you mean 'what does that mean'?" Neville sounded almost as confused as Harry felt.

Harry opened his eyes again and squinted up at the basilisk, once again aiming for its head. "_Expulso_. _Expulso_. _Expulso_." This time, two of the spells hit their marks; there was an awful squelching sound, which vaguely reminded Harry when he, Seamus, and Neville, had used exploding potion to blow up various desserts. The basilisk's eyes exploded and Harry was showered in a foul smelling substance which looked almost like slimy, orange jelly.

"Harry?" Neville called, "What was that, what did you do?"

Felling ever so slightly light-headed, Harry opened his eyes and looked over at Neville. "I-I" Harry sucked in a deep breath, for some reason he felt terrible for what he'd just done. "I blew up its eyes. It can't see anymore."

_"__KILL THE BOY! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF — SMELL HIM." _Riddle shouted angrily at the basilisk, which was writhing around on the floor of the chamber, blood streaming from its twin empty sockets.

Ducking past the snake, Harry ran to Neville's side. "Are you allright?"

Neville nodded and held up a gleaming silver sword.

He allowed himself a brief smile before looking across the chamber, unable to see anything past the wildly twitching serpent. "We've not got much time, do you want to guard Ginny or get the diary?" Harry asked.

Neville smiled for the first time since they'd heard about Ginny being taken. "I'll guard her; I have, after all, got the sword."

Harry grinned and patted his friend on the back before turning and making his way across the chamber, keeping his back to the wall.

"Kill Harry Potter!" Riddle shrieked, his voice high and cold, sounding much more like the Voldemort Harry had met.

The basilisk immediately righted itself, its tail lashing out against one of the stone pillars and reducing it to a mountain of rubble. Harry darted past the snake as another pillar crumbled to the floor. "Seamus." Harry called as the thrashing basilisk knocked the head off of Slytherin's statue. The stone head hit the floor with an ear-splitting crash, and as it split in half, a cloud of dust rose up into the air.

Coughing, Harry reached the legs of Slytherin's statue. "Seamus, are you allright?"

Harry could barely breathe and the air was so thick with dust that he couldn't even see a meter in front of himself. He stumbled forwards over heaps of smashed rocks. Harry considered tearing off a strip of his robes to cover his mouth with but they were so slimy and wet that he was sure they would probably do more harm than good.

He ducked under a piece of precariously balanced rock and climbed around Slytherin's left leg. Though he could see nothing, Harry was sure that the basilisk was still flailing around in the chamber, crashes thundered all around Harry, drowning out any orders that Riddle may have been giving the basilisk.

Harry saw a soft glow up ahead of him and squinted, trying to see past the dust. "Fawkes?" He'd almost completely forgotten about the phoenix. The bird trilled a note which seemed almost frantic and Harry sped up, trying to run through the heaps of debris.

As he neared the bird, the dust in the air seemed to clear so that Harry could fully take in what was happening. In an area completely clear of rubble, Harry could see Seamus, he was laid on the floor, bent double, his entire frame convulsing violently.

Harry kneeled on the floor next to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to roll him over. His eyes had rolled upwards and though he was making no noise Harry was certain he was in terrible pain. "Seamus," Harry whispered as the other boy shook, his legs twisting inwards and his back arching upwards in pain. Seamus's face had gone deathly pale, his hair plastered to his face with sweat.

Harry felt his hear skip a beat as he looked down at his friend, he didn't know what was happening to him and he didn't know what he could do to stop it, they were too far away from the hospital wing for them to call for help. "Fawkes." Harry breathed, turning to the bird. "Please help him- please." His voice cracked, Harry hadn't even realized he'd begun crying.

As he turned back to Seamus, Harry caught sight of something that made his heart stop. Embedded in Seamus's thigh, just above the knee, was a basilisk's fang, one of the ones Harry had dislodged when he'd been trying to damage the basilisk's eyes. Choking back the bile that rose up in his throat, Harry wrapped his hand around it, wrenching the fang out of his best friend's leg.

Fawkes trilled another note and hopped closer, a thick pearly tear rolling down his feathers. Once again Harry felt dizzy and nauseous. If Fawkes was crying then surely that would mean that there really was no hope, the venom was probably already in Seamus's system. Harry wondered how long it took to die from basilisk venom, ten minutes, five, maybe less.

Fawkes sang another note and Harry looked up, watching in awe as Seamus's wound seemed to grow smaller and smaller. Harry blinked, suddenly remembering something that Dumbledore had said almost six years ago when Harry and Hermione's bond had first formed, _'__Fascinating creatures, phoenixes, they can carry immensely heavy loads. Their tears have healing powers.' _

"Thank you." Harry whispered to the phoenix, running a hand over his warm, glossy feathers. Harry looked back down at Seamus, horrified to see him still writhing in agony.

"Harry!" Harry looked around as Neville emerged from the dust; he stopped short, still clutching his sword. "What happened?"

Harry gulped his eyes wide and frightened. "I don't know, he was hit by a basilisk fang, but Fawkes healed the wound, he's been... l-like this since I found him."

Neville crouched next to Harry, surveying the area. "You don't think it's the diary?" Neville asked.

"What?" Harry looked at Neville and then back down at Seamus, taking out his wand and pointing it at his friend's chest. "Rennervate." He'd seen Severus use the spell countless times to wake up people who had been knocked unconscious. There was a flash of orange light, but Seamus's condition didn't change. Harry gritted his teeth and pointed his wand again at his friend. "_RENNERVATE_."

"Harry that won't do anything, he's not unconscious, I think it's the diary." Neville put one hand on top of Harry's, forcing him to lower his wand whilst with the other he pointed his sword at Riddle's diary which was lying open under Seamus's hand. Still using the sword, Neville pushed the diary aside so that Seamus was no longer touching it.

For several long seconds, Seamus's convulsions stopped, his body relaxed and his eyes drifted closed. The world seemed to go still and it was almost in slow motion that Harry watched Seamus's back arch as he let out a long and piercing scream.

Harry looked frantically over at Neville, suddenly realizing what needed to be done. "Neville, destroy the diary."

Neville nodded and picked up the basilisk's fang, which had been embedded in Seamus's leg, he gripped it tightly and drove it into the diary. _Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Neville's hands, and flooding across the floor. _There was a yell of pain from somewhere deep in the chamber and Harry heard the soft clatter of Neville's wand falling to the floor.

Neville stood up shakily as a soft moan reached their ears. "Ginny, I-I'll go see how she is." He stammered quietly, trying to look through the dust, which was just beginning to settle. "I don't think we should tell anyone that it was her- opening the chamber I mean, it wasn't her fault and... well, the basilisk killed a girl."

Harry nodded sombrely. "I'll think of something to tell everyone. Just make sure she's allright." Neville turned and had begun to walk away when Harry called to him, "What happened to the basilisk?"

"I killed it." Neville said morosely. "I had to, it killed a girl, and we couldn't have left it down here." He sighed, shaking his head as he walked away, making his way towards Ginny.

Harry turned to Seamus, who had stopped screaming the moment that Neville had stabbed the diary. "Seamus?" He asked in a whisper. "Are you allright?"

Seamus blinked tiredly and sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he didn't answer Harry asked, "What happened?"

Seamus's eyes widened in horror and he turned away, clutching his stomach as he threw up on the floor. When he turned back, wiping vomit from his mouth, his eyes were brimming with tears. "He-he showed me things, things he's done, potions he's made and people- murders, there were so many." His eyes watered and he blinked up at Harry, a haunted look in his eyes.

Harry tentatively reached out his hand, stopping inches away from Seamus's shoulder and letting it flutter there for a second before letting it drop into his lap. They sat in silence for several seconds; Harry desperately wanted to ask his friend if he was allright but the words would just seem hollow, how could he be allright?

"It was the diary?"

Seamus nodded, turning his head to hide the tears which were beginning to leak steadily down his cheeks. Looking at his feet, Harry stood up, pretending he hadn't noticed his friend crying. "I'm sorry you almost died, it's my fault."

"Died?"

"Yeah, the fang. My aim was off- my aim is always off, I should've realized someone could get hurt." Harry rubbed the back of his neck and looked across the chamber, the dust had settled enough for Harry to be able to survey the carnage.

Neville was crouched in the centre of the chamber, stroking Ginny's hair as he whispered comforting words in an attempt to stop her sobbing into his chest. The dead basilisk dominated almost the rest of the chamber; most of the pillars had collapsed, and Harry thought it a miracle that the roof hadn't caved in- magic, he thought, smiling sadly to himself, it really was quite remarkable that they'd all survived.

"I saw them." Seamus whispered, staring blankly across the chamber.

"Sorry?" Harry asked, wondering what he had missed.

Seamus gulped and stood up, wincing slightly as he put weight on the leg that had been stabbed. "Your parents, I-I saw that night."

"You saw them die?" Harry asked, his voice echoing through the chamber.

Seamus nodded silently and took a step towards Harry resting a hand on his shoulder. "Your dad, he-he didn't have a wand, but he still faced him- he wanted to give you and your mum time."

Harry didn't answer; he blinked back the tears which were threatening to fall and picked up Neville's sword, noting with surprise how heavy it was. He then picked up the diary and the basilisk fang, and slipping both into the pocket of his robes, he turned to Seamus. "Are you allright?"

"Yeah." Seamus said, nodding and smiling grimly.

Harry frowned and shook his head. "You're not allright- none of us are, but I think I'd take the Cruciatus Curse over what you and Ginny have been through."

Seamus wiped his eyes again as they made their way over to Ginny and Neville and whispered, "I don't think I'll ever forget, I just can't understand how someone could do what he's done. What you said, Harry, was true, he's never cared for anyone."

A sudden thought struck Harry and he stopped, frowning at Seamus in confusion. "How did you see my parents? The diary was from before them, the memories were from his Hogwarts years."

"It wasn't just his school memories in that book, there was something more- something much worse."

* * *

**AN: I can't believe it's almost been a month since my last update, I'm so sorry. I was away for a week and then the day after I got home my grandfather passed away and everything has been a bit of a blur since then. **

**Thank you to everyone for reading; I've had a rather impressive number of hits for my last chapter. And thanks to my beta and everyone who reviewed.**

**-beksta**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24

Thanks to Fawkes, Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Ginny managed to safely make their way back out of the Chamber of Secrets, and they quickly found themselves standing in the doorway of Professor Dumbledore's office. There was silence as the occupants of the office stared in shock at the four students, all of whom were covered in dirt, slime, and blood.

Harry and Neville took a step forward together, Neville handing Ginny, who he'd carried bridal-style up to the office, to Seamus as they approached Professor Dumbledore's desk. Almost in unison, Harry placed the sword and the remains of the diary onto the desk as Neville set down the Sorting Hat.

Dumbledore smiled very faintly, stood up and addressed the two members of staff who were in his office. "Charity, I see no reason why Severus must remain confined to the Slytherin common room; you may collect him, but please be sure that he is calm. Pomona, would you mind informing Molly and Arthur of the return of their daughter, you will find them either in Minerva's office or in the hospital wing with young Mr. Weasley."

The two adults nodded as Dumbledore gave his orders, Charity pulling Harry into a quick hug before making her way to the door.

As the teachers left, Dumbledore turned to the four students. "Please, sit." He gestured to the four seats in front of the desk. Nodding, Harry pulled out a chair and sat down, not looking around as he heard the scraping of the three other seats being pulled out. "Start from the beginning, I cannot stress how important it is that you tell me everything that has happened."

Harry and Neville both launched into the story of what had happened, each filling in gaps when the other forgot something. Dumbledore watched the boys intently as Harry described meeting Dobby the house elf, and how he, Hermione, and Cedric found out about the basilisk. He didn't speak as Neville described how the Bloody Baron had told them about Ron and Ginny, and how they'd found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

As Neville described the events in the chamber, Harry felt his heart sink. He'd promised that he'd think of a story to tell everyone about Ginny, there was no way that anyone would believe the truth; they'd destroyed the diary, and in doing so had removed all evidence of Ginny's innocence.

Neville stopped talking and looked at Harry as he finished describing how he'd killed the basilisk with the sword that the Sorting Hat had given him. "The diary." Harry blurted out quickly, sliding it towards Professor Dumbledore. "It belonged to Tom Riddle; he was the one who opened the chamber, that's why he took Ginny." Harry paused and backtracked slightly, trying to get everything out before Dumbledore jumped to a conclusion about Ginny. "He opened the chamber but that wasn't his plan, he wanted to kill me and come back to power- he was stealing Ginny's life and magic."

"Of course," Dumbledore said softly, picking up the diary and inspecting it. "I've seen Tom manipulate far older and more experienced wizards and witches than Miss Weasley." He turned to Ginny and smiled reassuringly. "You, of course, had no idea what was going on; tell me, Ginny, how did this diary come to be in your possession?"

"I-I-I don't know." Ginny said, still sobbing as Seamus tried to comfort her by rubbing her back. _"I f-found it inside one of the b-books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and f-forgotten about it."_

Seamus looked up at Professor Dumbledore, sternly meeting his gaze. "It wasn't her fault, Professor." He said in a firm voice. "Riddle manipulated her, when I touched the book it- I don't exactly know what it did, all I can remember is pain all over and he forced memories and pictures into my head. Professor, I saw him telling Ginny that the basilisk had killed Penelope Clearwater and that she had to go down into the chamber." He shook his head, his eyes looking almost pleading. "She didn't know, sir, she didn't want to go, and when she found out about the other girl she wanted to turn herself in but the diary wouldn't let her. It wasn't just Riddle's school memories in that diary, there's a bigger part of him in there; it's like the diary almost contains You-Know-Who's essence."

Dumbledore nodded and laced his fingers together. "Miss Weasley, I will need you to go down to the hospital wing for a full check up; though you will not be punished for Lord Voldemort's actions, I ask you not to tell anyone the true details of what occurred this year, I do not believe that many people will be quite as understanding as I have been. You may, of course, tell your parents, and Miss Clearwater's family will be informed of your possession by Lord Voldemort. You do understand, Miss Weasley, that Tom Riddle gained partial control of your mind? I believe it will take some time for you to recover from your ordeal"

Harry felt a small amount of relief; thankfully, Ginny wouldn't get in trouble for what had happened, but he couldn't help but think about the Clearwater girl. She had, after all, been killed by the basilisk and someone would have to be held responsible for it.

Dumbledore turned to address Harry, Neville, and Seamus when the office door burst open so violently that it slammed against the wall and bounced back. A blonde man, who looked disturbingly like Draco Malfoy, stood in the doorway with Dobby the house elf cowering at his feet.

_"Good evening, Lucius, _what can I do for you?_" _asked_ Dumbledore pleasantly._

The man swept across the room and pulled a sheet of parchment from inside his robes. "We, the governors and I, have decided these attacks have gone too far- a half-blood killed and blood traitor taken into the chamber. As you have not done anything to stop these attacks we have decided that it is time you stepped down as Headmaster." With a flourish, he unrolled the parchment and set it on Dumbledore's desk. "This is an order of suspension; you'll find all twelve governor's signatures on it. Terrible really, two deaths in one night; at this rate, half the Muggle borns in the school will have been killed before anyone takes action."

"Ah, well, it seems that you have arrived at the perfect time, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said pleasantly, standing up and conjuring another chair for Mr. Malfoy. "As you may have noticed, I have several guests," he gestured to Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Ginny. "Did you know that it was a basilisk attacking my students?" Dumbledore asked, a hard edge to his voice.

Mr. Malfoy sat in the offered seat but didn't look at all happy about it. "Are you suggesting that I had something to do with these attacks?" Mr. Malfoy spluttered, his face pale and eyes narrowed furiously.

"Of course not, Lucius, such accusations would be completely unfounded." Dumbledore said, sitting back down behind his desk.

"And the culprit had been apprehended?" He glanced at Harry and a small smirk curled the corner of his lips. "A Parselmouth, perhaps?"

"Of course, no one else would be able to control such a creature." Dumbledore nodded.

Malfoy's smile grew. "And have you informed the Ministry? They'll want to take him into custody; he may even get The Kiss."

Though Harry wasn't entirely sure what 'the kiss' was, he was fairly certain that Malfoy was trying to blame Harry for the Chamber of Secrets being opened.

"That would be quite impossible, Lucius; he is far from the school- hiding in Albania I believe." Dumbledore said levelly.

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore said, and Seamus, Ginny, and Malfoy flinched. "My sources tell me he is currently in Albania."

"The Dark Lord? Perhaps your suspension is still on the agenda, Dumbledore, as usual, you are making absolutely no sense what so ever." Malfoy said sharply, his eyes narrowing further.

"You misunderstand me, Lucius." Dumbledore said, his voice still pleasant, as though he'd not heard Malfoy's insult. "Lord Voldemort did not enter this castle at any point in this year; instead, he used a rather ingenious method. Using this diary, he acted through one of my students."

Dumbledore held up the small black book and watched Malfoy intently. A movement in the corner of the room caught Harry's eye and he looked around, seeing Dobby behaving very strangely, the elf had his _great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist._

_"I see…"_ Mr. Malfoy said slowly, looking from Dumbledore to the diary and back again.

_"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here —" Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look__.__ "and his friends hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"_

_Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike._

_"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent __pureblood__ families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggle-borns… Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…"_

Harry watched Dobby, still pointing from Malfoy, to the diary and then to himself, and felt realization suddenly hit him.

"Mr. Malfoy, _do_ _you_ know where Ginny got that diary?" Harry asked slowly.

_Lucius Malfoy rounded on him._

_"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said._

"Well," Harry said, shrugging and pretending to think. "I'm fairly certain that _you're_ the one who gave it to her; we all saw you pick up Ginny's transfiguration book in Flourish and Blotts, how difficult was it for you to slip the diary inside unnoticed." Harry narrowed his eyes, smiling politely, just has Dumbledore had done. "I doubt it was difficult, after all, you're rather skilled in the art of espionage, sneakiness kind of goes hand in hand with that doesn't it?"

"And what do you mean by that?" Malfoy demanded.

"I think you know what I mean." Harry said coolly. "And when Voldemort returns I doubt he'll be impressed at how you got his diary destroyed, I think you'll find that he can be rather unforgiving."

"You have no proof of that, Potter, and if I was you, I'd keep your nose out of my business."

"Is that a threat?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. A pink flush rose on Malfoy's cheekbones and Harry smiled in satisfaction. "Because, Mr. Malfoy, I think you'll find that the Daily Prophet does not look at all kindly upon those who threaten the Boy-Who-Lived, I think you'll do well to remember that."

The look on Malfoy's face made Harry's smile widen, he couldn't remember ever speaking to an adult in such away but it certainly felt good, as though he'd somehow won a small victory over the ex-Death Eater. He was responsible for the death of a girl and he needed to be punished; the taunting was definitely satisfying, but Harry promised that he would make sure was caught.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy, I ask you to leave this castle." Dumbledore's eyes glowed with a strange light, and for the first time, Harry realized just how powerful the headmaster was. "I will not have my students put in any danger; your son is still a student here, but you are no longer welcome within the walls of this castle. Although the appointment of school governors does not lie with me, I advise you to leave the board, lest I involve the Ministry of Magic."

_Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!"_

_He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor._

_Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him —_

_"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"_

_"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…" Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Then he ran down the dark corridor._

_He caught up with them at the top of the stairs._

_"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you —"_

_And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand._

_"What the —?"_

_Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. _"It may be advisable for you to keep your meddlesome nose out of the affairs of my family, Harry Potter. Your parents crossed the Dark Lord and look where they are now. When he learns that it was you who destroyed his diary, how long do you think you'll last?" Malfoy hissed. "I'd watch my back if I were you."

Harry smiled. "You seem a bit... wound up, Mr. Malfoy." Harry said pleasantly. "If _I _were you I'd watch what I was saying, murders tend to let things slip when they get flustered- perhaps you should work on that temper of yours."

Malfoy glowered down at Harry. "Oh, yes, Potter, you're one to talk of keeping my temper in check, I have not yet forgotten your attack on my son."

"And now you're getting into an argument with a twelve year old child, you really are a shining example of what Wizards should aspire to be." Harry said coldly, feeling as though he could get hours of amusement from taunting Mr. Malfoy.

Malfoy's fingers twitched towards his wand and Harry slid his hand into his pocket, wrapping his hand around his wand and wondering if he would even be able to block whatever curse Malfoy was planning to throw at him. "How dare you." Malfoy spat in a manner that reminded Harry of Tom Riddle when he'd insulted him down in the chamber.

"Attack me then, sir. I wonder how much damage you'll be able to do before you're thrown into Azkaban." Harry said, bracing himself and hoping that Malfoy would be punished. Perhaps if the Ministry arrested him for attacking Harry, then they'd investigate other things such as his involvement with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. At least then Penelope Clearwater's parents would get to see their daughter's killer locked up.

Malfoy's turned to leave, his body visibly shaking in repressed rage. _"Come, Dobby. I said, come."_

_But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure._

_"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."_

_"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"_

_"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free."_

_Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry._

_"You've lost me my servant, boy!"_

_But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"_

_There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below._

Malfoy stood up, his face livid. "You've made a big mistake, Potter, and you will pay for it. I may not be able to harm you now but I assure you I will have my revenge, what my sister in-law did to your friend's parents will seem tame in comparison." He then turned on his heel, wrapping his cloak around his body and strode around the corner and out of sight.

_"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"_

"Yeah, congratulations." Harry said, smiling at the little elf, suddenly remembering something Hermione had been talking about after meeting the elves in the school kitchens. "Listen, what're you going to do now?"

Dobby's forehead creased and he stroked one of his long, bat-like ears. "Dobby is not sure, Harry Potter. Dobby likes his work but not his master."

"Well, do you have anywhere to stay?" Harry asked.

"Dobby is a disgraced house elf, sir, Dobby had been freed, most wizards do not want a freed elf, sir."

"Right, well I have an idea." Harry said, thinking of Hermione's ideas about campaigning for elf rights. "How would you feel if I offered you a job with my family, I'll pay you good wages and you can have holidays and stuff."

"Dobby would be honoured to work for such a great wizard as Harry Potter."

"Okay, you'll have to go see my friend. There's a girl in Gryffindor tower called Hermione Granger, the girl who was with me the first time we met. Tell her what happened and that I've offered you a job with us, you can come to an agreement with her about wages and holidays and stuff. Don't tell her I said this, but she's very clever and understands this stuff better than me."

_Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him._

_"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed, and with a loud crack disappeared._

_OOOOO_

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade station, Harry looked down at the copy of the Daily Prophet on the seat next to him. The first page was mostly dominated by a full colour, moving photograph of Penelope Clearwater walking across the Hogwarts grounds holding hands with none other than Percy Weasley.

Harry sighed, this year really had been terrible for the Weasleys; Ginny had been possessed by Lord Voldemort, Ron had been petrified, and Percy's girlfriend had been killed. Gritting his teeth, Harry thought of Lucius Malfoy, there really weren't words to describe how much Harry hated that man. He had been responsible for Ginny's possession, all of the petrifactions, and Percy's girlfriend's death, all because he'd wanted to disgrace the Weasley family.

After Penelope Clearwater's memorial service, the Hogwarts students had trouped down the hill from the castle to the Hogwarts Express, the school had been closed a whole two months early due to what had happened. The only students who had not left the castle were the ones who had been petrified, as Severus didn't think the potion would be ready for several more weeks.

Thinking of his uncle, Harry felt his heart sink. After Malfoy had left, Severus had appeared and embarrassed Harry by fussing over him like a mother hen, making him sit down whilst he cleaned the blood off of his face with a damp napkin as though he was a small child instead of a twelve - almost thirteen - year old boy.

The thought of his family made Harry sigh again. "What'll Aunt Petunia say when I get back?" Harry asked Hermione, resting his head against the cool glass of the carriage's window.

"You mean she won't be proud of you?" Neville asked.

"Proud? You're kidding, right?" Harry said. "She'll be furious, how many times have I 'needlessly endangered my life' this year?"

Neville laughed. "I don't think Gran could be more proud, I killed a basilisk!"

Harry grinned and shook his head. "Yeah, well, in Dud's words you're 'a badass'. Malfoy's dad might be planning my bloody and violent murder, but I doubt he'll go anywhere near you."

"You shouldn't joke about things like that." Seamus said with a shudder.

Harry looked up at his friend. "Sorry, mate." Harry didn't think Seamus had had a single wink of sleep since they'd gone down into the Chamber of Secrets, his face was pale and he had massive bags under his eyes. He's seen terrible things in Riddle's diary and Harry was fairly certain that one of them was of Voldemort and his Death Eaters; he'd been acting particularly strange around Severus, and shuddered every time anyone mentioned Lucius Malfoy. "Have you told your mum what happened?"

Seamus shook his head. "No, she's got enough to worry about."

"You really should." Hermione said, sitting up straight in her chair and fixing Seamus with a piercing stare.

"I'll be fine." Seamus shrugged. "She'll just fuss over me."

"You need to be fussed over. Look at Ginny, Percy's just lost his girlfriend, and yet he's over in the next compartment letting her talk about it and trying to help her." Harry pointed out.

"I don't need to be fussed over." Seamus said. "You just need to leave it, okay. I'll get over it over the summer holidays."

Harry raised an eyebrow dubiously but said nothing, instead turning to Dean and beginning a game of Exploding Snap.

_OOOOO_

_Cub,_

_What on earth were you thinking, talking to Lucius Malfoy in such a way? Malfoy told Severus everything that you said to him and I must say__,__ I'm shocked__;__ not even your father would have had the guts to do that__.__Y__ou're becoming more and more like... an old friend of mine. This is both impressive and worrying, I don't think you realize what a formidable enemy Lucius Malfoy will prove to be, he has a lot of power within the __M__inistry of __M__agic. I advise you to start learning some more defensive charms and hexes, if you research the theory in the holidays then when you get back to Hogwarts you can practice properly._

_On another note__,__ I'm very impressed by your escapade in the Chamber of Secrets. I think your __f__ather would feel the same way__,__ and needless to say that your mother would have been horrified but proud. Well done__. _

_Be careful and watch your back._

_From Moony._

* * *

**AN: Thank you to everyone for reading. And thanks to my beta and everyone who reviewed.**

**-beksta**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Despite the fact that Harry was getting a whole two months extra of holidays, he wasn't having very much fun at all.

Firstly, his aunt, as expected, had been furious at him for putting himself in so much danger by going down into the Chamber of Secrets, and hiring Dobby, even though the elf refused to accept a bedroom and was instead sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs. The second problem was that Harry didn't really have anyone to talk to since Dudley was still at school and Aunt Petunia kept dragging Hermione off on shopping trips. The only time he really got a chance to spend time with anyone his own age was on Mondays when Aunt Petunia had tea parties with Mrs. Longbottom, and Neville was allowed to come over for a few hours in the afternoon.

Since there was nothing better for him to do, Harry had decided to devote his time to reading up on defensive spells and trying to research his and Hermione's bond. Fortunately, since Hermione had a slight book obsession, she had bought several large books when they'd snuck down to Hogsmeade during the year.

Harry stacked up some of Hermione's books and rammed them, and his invisibility cloak, into one of the magically strengthened bags Hermione often used at school to carry around all of her books. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Harry made his way downstairs, calling to his uncle that he was 'going to the park' before leaving through the front door.

Harry took a deep breath as he walked out into the street; it really was great to get out of the house. Harry considered taking a walk down the river but decided against it, he'd told his uncle that he was going to the park so that was where he would go.

In the park, Harry found an old oak tree and began to climb up it, finding a thick branch, settling himself on it, and pulling out the book Remus had bought him for Christmas. Harry had managed to get through several chapters when he heard a quiet sniffling noise from down on the ground.

Harry put a leaf between the pages of his book and closed it, looking down at the ground. A large black dog was sniffing around the trunk of the tree. It seemed to hear Harry close his book and looked up at him, its large grey eyes wide and almost too intelligent for dog's eyes.

The dog pawed the trunk of the tree and whimpered slightly before standing up on its hind legs and somehow scrambling up the tree. Harry watched the dog in interest as it padded across the tangle of branches and perched next to Harry, staring at him with an almost apprehensive look in its eyes.

Harry watched the dog for a second, surprised; he didn't think he'd ever heard of a dog that could climb trees. Harry held out his hand to the dog, letting him smell him before it nudged him gently. "Hello." Harry said to the dog, running his hand through its shaggy black fur. "Have you lost your owners?" He asked, looking for a collar or nametag.

The dog put one paw on Harry's knee and he laughed, shuffling closer to the dog. From the place where he'd shifted to, Harry could see that the dog was painfully thin; almost all of his ribs were visible despite the thick layer of matted black fur covering its skin.

Harry decided to take the dog home with him; obviously, its owners weren't taking good enough care of it. "You can come with me." Harry told the dog, patting it on its head. "You'll have to hide, though; my aunt doesn't like dogs very much."

Harry packed his book back into his bag and climbed down from the tree, wondering if the dog would actually be able to get himself down; Harry didn't like the idea of trying to lift such a big dog. Fortunately, for Harry, the dog managed to get back down from the tree as easily as it had managed to get up.

Harry didn't even have to find a makeshift lead to put the dog on; it seemed to just know to follow him. As they walked home, Harry decided that he really did like the idea of having a dog, sure, he had Hedwig and Hiss living in his bedroom, but a dog was a much more fun pet. Harry grinned at the thought and looked down at his new pet. "I'll wait until we get home to think of a name for you, I'm not very good at on the spot names; I called my snake Hiss, and I stole my owl's name from a history book." The dog barked playfully and nudged Harry forwards.

"You can come with me to school too. My friends will love you, but you'll have to promise not to chase the cats - one of the teachers can turn into one." The dog whined in a way that made Harry think that he could understand what he was saying. "At home you can meet my brother and best friend, but no one else. Like I said before, my aunt won't like an animal being there and Uncle Vernon will just agree. I don't think my Uncle Severus likes any animals, he might skin you if he sees you so I'd stay out of his way." The dog growled quietly and Harry looked down at it. It was looking up at him with a mixture of annoyance and hurt in its eyes.

"What?" The dog growled again and Harry sighed. "I wish I could talk dog too... I wonder what your aura looks like." Harry mused aloud. The dog looked up at him as they continued plodding onwards. "My brother can see auras. I have a werewolf friend and he, apparently, had a really interesting aura. I bet he'd like you." The dog made a strange sound, like a cross between a yelp and bark. "Is that you agreeing?" Harry asked, grinning.

They neared the corner before the terrace and Harry stopped, pulling off his rucksack and extracting his invisibility cloak. "You'll have to wear this and not make any noise." Harry put the cloak over the dog, surprised that it didn't immediately shake it off. The dog was very tall and Harry could rest his hand on its head as they walked towards the house, ensuring that the dog didn't run away with the invisibility cloak.

As Harry walked up the garden path, a tearful Aunt Petunia came running out the door, embracing Harry and giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Oh, Harry, thank God, I was so worried." She kissed him again and Harry frowned.

"You were worried? I was just at the park." Harry said, putting a comforting hand on his aunt's waist. "I told Uncle Vernon."

"We'll talk inside." Aunt Petunia said, looking around before pointing Harry inside.

Harry put his arm out, checking that the dog was still there and nudged it inside in front of him.

"Harry, would you please go upstairs, Hermione is in your bedroom, and your Uncle Severus is on the way over to talk about some things. Please, don't come downstairs until we call you." Aunt Petunia said, giving him another kiss.

"Okay, would you mind if I get some food first, please?" Harry asked and Aunt Petunia nodded, locking the back door and making her way into the lounge.

When he'd first moved in with them, Dobby had wanted to take over all of the cooking and cleaning in the house. Aunt Petunia had not been impressed by this, but after several rather heated arguments, had agreed that Dobby could take over half of the household chores, Dobby had agreed to this on the condition that he would be allowed to clean the entire Granger household.

In the kitchen, Harry found Dobby sneakily polishing some of the cutlery Aunt Petunia had cleaned earlier. "Hello, Dobby." Harry said and the little elf jumped, hiding the cloth behind his back.

"Harry Potter, you gave Dobby a fright." Dobby accused. "Dobby was just making sure Mistress has cleaned her knives and forks properly, sir."

Harry smiled as he made his way over to the fridge. "You know she doesn't like you calling her that. You're not our servant."

"Oh, Dobby knows that, sir. Dobby is grateful to Harry Potter and his family." Dobby tugged at the small striped sweater he was wearing. "Mistress Petunia gives Dobby clothes, but it doesn't mean Dobby can't work here." Dobby grinned a wide toothy grin and continued polishing the knife.

Harry smiled fondly and pulled a steak from the fridge. "Would you mind using your magic to multiply these steaks, could you make six so I can take them but leave this one still in the fridge, please?"

Dobby climbed up onto the table and looked sternly at Harry. "If Dobby does this Harry Potter must eat his dinner, sir." Dobby wagged a long finger at Harry.

"Yes, I promise I'll eat my dinner." Harry said.

Dobby watched him for a long second before nodding and jumping down from the table. He turned his back to Harry and worked over the steaks for a minute. "There you go, Harry Potter, would you like Dobby to cook them?" Said Dobby, holding out the plate, now stacked high with half a dozen steaks.

"I suppose you can if you want to." Harry said and Dobby grinned gleefully, putting his hand over the stack of steaks, browning them instantly. "Thanks, you really are very helpful. I'll see you later, Dobby."

Harry took a bowl from the cupboard and balancing the steaks on top of the bowl, exited through the pantry, picking up a packet of crisps each for himself and Hermione as he made his way out of the room and up the stairs.

He stopped at the bathroom to fill the bowl up with water before crossing the landing and entering his bedroom.

Hermione was laying on his bed, reading a book when he entered, but looked up almost immediately, narrowing her eyes as he approached. "What're you up to?"

"Who says I'm up to anything?" Harry asked, setting the bowl and steak on his desk.

"You've been thinking sneaky thoughts for almost half an hour." said Hermione, raising an eyebrow and setting the book on Harry's bedside table.

"All right," Harry felt around blindly until he felt the dog; gripping the cloak, Harry pulled it off the dog and Hermione gasped. "I recently acquired a dog." He said with a grin.

"A dog?" Hermione asked, getting up off Harry's bed and crossing the room.

As Hermione approached, the dog growled, shifting in front of Harry and crouching protectively. Harry put a hand on its back and said, "She's my friend, I told you about her."

The dog relaxed instantly and padded closer to Hermione. She bent to stroke the dog and it licked her hand, scooting closer to her. "Doesn't he have an owner?"

"I don't think so, look at him, he's so skinny." Harry picked up the plate of steaks and placed them in front of the dog who sniffed it before diving on the plate, tearing at the first steak as though it had not eaten in years.

"Does he have a name?" Hermione asked, patting the dog as it ate.

"I don't think so, what about Willow?" Harry said, earning a snort from Hermione.

"He's a boy, Harry."

"Oh, right, yeah." Harry blushed. "Well, do you have an idea?"

"What about Cosmo?" Hermione suggested.

"Yeah," Harry said slowly. "I kinda like that."

"Are you planning on keeping him a secret?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I already have a snake, an owl, a house elf, and Dud's got an owl, and you want a cat. I think that's more than enough pets to be getting along with."

"And how are you planning on keeping your pet dog a secret?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure about walking him yet, but I suppose the garden is pretty big and if I can make him keep the cloak on then that would be good. I'm thinking that if we let Dobby in on the secret he would be able to clean up any dog mess with his magic and multiply the food so we can feed him. It'll get much easier when we go to school because he can sleep in the dorms, and he seems pretty well trained so I could let him loose on the school grounds during the day and take him on my mountain walks on the weekends."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "You seem to have this all thought out, but what will you do when Aunt Marge comes in two months and she brings one of those little beasts she breads, it'll sniff him out instantly."

"Yes, but we'll be going to Ron's after a couple of days of her being here, and we can take Cosmo with us." Harry said smugly.

"And expect the Weasleys to feed him?" Hermione asked.

"No, we'll tell Ron, Fred, George, and maybe Ginny who can help us get food and hide him, and I bet Dobby has some good preservation charms, we could pack up a box full of food for him."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, you put up a good argument, but will your army of pets approve?"

Harry shrugged. "Hiss has gone hunting rats and Hedwig's delivering my recent letter to Moony."

Hermione grinned. "Well, congratulations on your new dog, Cat Boy."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Cosmo shift slightly, but when he looked down the dog was still devouring the stack of steaks he had put down for him.

"So what was Aunt Petunia so worried about?" Harry asked, handing Hermione her packet of crisps and opening his.

"Something about an escaped Death Eater, Severus is coming over to discuss it with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon."

"Of course," Harry nodded smiling slightly. "I forgot that all Death Eaters are out to kill me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you said it in such a sarcastic voice; you've already received a death threat from Lucius Malfoy."

"Yeah, and I receive them daily from Draco." Harry said as though it settled the matter. "I've kind of learnt to ignore it."

"How very brave of you." Hermione said dryly as she swallowed her mouthful of crisps.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Hermione. If I got a galleon for every time someone threatened to kill me I'd be a millionaire."

"And if _I_ had a galleon for every time someone _tried_ to kill you-"

"You'd have three galleons." Harry said flatly.

"Three galleons too many."

Harry grinned brightly and wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Oh, I really do love you, Hermione. I can't believe I once hated you."

"You were seven, and I hated you." Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it's odd, isn't it. We've gotten well past you even being my best friend; you're like my twin sister that was born twelve months before me."

Hermione grinned. "Like the Weasley twins, but more 'badass'."

Harry laughed. "Dudley's way of speaking really has rubbed off on us, I bet by the end of this year we'll have called everyone we know 'badass'."

"Okay, how about, Harry Potter, you are one righteous dude!" Hermione said, her eyes gleaming in delight.

Harry doubled over laughing, the words sounded ridiculous coming from Hermione with her upper-class accent and perfect pronunciation.

"So, what did you find out?" Hermione asked when Harry had finally finished laughing.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Harry sat up and stroked Cosmo, who had finished eating and was lying on his side with one eye half open. "When?" Harry asked.

"Today, when you were doing your research."

"Oh, yeah, I found out quite a bit of useful information on souls."

"Such as?" Hermione prompted.

"Well, the soul is essentially a person's essence, your feelings, memories, and magical core are all linked to your soul; if you lose your soul there is no chance of recovery. I don't think you can just lose your soul, though, it has to be forcibly removed from your body. And from what I've read, there are only a few methods of soul removal."

"Soul removal?" Hermione gasped, horrified.

Harry nodded grimly. "You can partially remove souls, I'm not entirely sure what the point of doing it would be - there wasn't much info on it in the book - but what I do know is that your soul has to have already have been damaged for this to happen. Souls are only damaged by acts of evil; for example, if you kill an innocent your soul will be ripped in two. Also, remember those dementor things Sev told us about? Well, they can fully remove your soul; I don't know what they do with it once they've taken it, like with that other thing the book didn't go into too much detail about that." Harry shuddered at the possibilities.

Hermione nodded. "I'm impressed, if only you put this much effort into your studies."

"I'm nearly as smart as you." Harry said in indignation. "Anyway, that's not all I found. A ghost is the imprint of a soul left on earth; the book I read said that there hasn't been much research done on it, but from what they've found out, it seems that once you make the decision to remain on the earth as a ghost the decision can't be undone."

"Was there anything on soul bonds?" Hermione asked, scratching Cosmo's belly.

"A tiny bit, there's not much that actually refers explicitly to soul bonds, but there's been a load of myths about connections between people. Then there's the King Arthur myth where Lancelot and Guinevere had a bond. I've had to read quite a few books and compare stories, and since I've been alone for quite a bit of this holiday," Harry pursed his lips and arched an eyebrow in Hermione's direction. "I've managed to get through most of the Hogsmeade books."

Hermione smiled, looking slightly guilty and said, "When you do that eyebrow thing you look just like Severus. Anyway, what information did you manage to piece together?"

"Well, we don't actually share a soul," Harry said, screwing up his empty crisp packet and throwing it in the bin. "We have separate ones, but the book said that they're irruv-irrevib, ugh, irreckocably-"

The corner of Hermione's lip quirked upwards and she said, "_Irrevocably_."

"Yeah, they're that word; tied together, I think it means we can't undo it, even if we wanted to." Hermione nodded and Harry continued, "Our souls are tied together, but in a way which kind of makes them one. It's strange, I suppose you could kind of compare it to two rooms with a door between them, our souls are the rooms and an open door has formed, linking the two rooms and letting stuff through."

"So we still have separate souls, then?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, but it's kind of two parts of a whole, or two rooms that make a house, whereas most souls are single houses- maybe bungalows - in their own right but without the rooms. I think it may be possible for us to force the door closed, the problem is that there's two of them and probably a window too."

"What?" Hermione asked, choking back a giggle. "Are you just making this all up as you go along? We had two connecting rooms before, and now everyone has a house except us who share two rooms with two doors and a window; maybe you dreamed it all."

"No." Harry shook his head earnestly. "It's an analogy, and the more I think about it the better it seems to work. Look, we each have a door, which we can get through into the other's room, but because they're always open, stuff can escape through. I sort of imagine the window is the bit you fall through when you try to look too hard into the other's room, you know like when we were at the zoo that time and I made Dudley fall into the snake's house because he was being annoying- he looked too close and fell into the wrong room."

"So on Halloween I fell into your head because I was trying too hard?"

"Yeah, but the other thing is, I read in one book that if something really emotional is happening we can be sucked through right into the other person's room without wanting too."

"So we need curtains then." Hermione said with a smile.

"_You _need to learn to come through the door and not the window." Harry said.

"What happened to your hat theory, then?" Hermione asked.

"That still applies, but I've changed my idea from a hat to those jingly metal chain screen things that butchers have on their doors. Mine had a tonne of chains missing so that makes it easier for stuff to get through from your bit, but yours is almost intact so less stuff escapes through, the only problem is, is that apparently I have naturally weak mental shields so I don't think I'll ever be able to repair it."

Snorting, Hermione shook her head. "You really do just make it all up as you go along."

"No, no, look, listen, because this is where the door theory comes in. Because we're linked, our cores are strengthened; think of it like two sticks tied together- two are much stronger than one. This makes us more powerful, the problem is that if one gets snapped the other does too. These doors kind of link to that, if we learn how to close them we could stop both sticks snapping. The problem is, because of the nature of the bond we wouldn't be able to close them for a very long period of time, meaning that we would have to be able to anticipate something bad happening so we could close the doors beforehand."

"You mean we could temporarily sever the bond?" Hermione asked, sitting up straight and chewing her lower lip in the way she often did when interested in something.

"Not sever, no. We can just close it. Cedric told me what happened to you when I was put under the Cruciatus Curse. I think that it may be possible to close the door so that it wouldn't happen again. The problem is, we'd need to get quick at closing the door. I think that if someone casts the Cruciatus Curse at you, you have just under a second to close the door before it hits. So when Malfoy finally plucks up the courage to attack me, I'll be able to close my door and you won't feel any pain."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and thought for a second. "You've closed the bond before." Hermione said slowly. "When you ran away from the school and we had to rescue you in the snow. I tried to get through to you and couldn't."

Harry frowned, trying to remember what he had been thinking as he'd walked in the mountains that day. He definitely hadn't tried to close the bond. "I'll write that down." Harry said, picking up a piece of paper and a quill off of his desk. "If we make a list of all the strange things that have happened, and stuff that we can do, like your eye rolling, we'll be able to find out much more about what the bond means."

"Have you looked into the idea of soul mates?" Hermione asked.

Harry winced. "No, I've pretty much stayed away from it. In some ways it fits, two halves of one whole; we kind of complement each other, but in other ways it doesn't fit at all." Harry smiled, a sudden thought occurring to him. "The Weasley twins! We can observe them, you said before we're like them; the only difference is the distance and the death thing which I haven't really looked into either."

Hermione tilted her head, thinking intently. "You know, that's a rather good idea."

"Oh, you sound so surprised." Harry said, flicking the end of his quill in Hermione's direction and splattering her cheek with ink.

"Hey!" Hermione tried to shift away and nudged Cosmo, who sat up straight, wagging his tale.

"Look, you disturbed my dog." Harry accused, splattering Hermione with more ink.

Cosmo made a quiet whining sound and leapt on Hermione, sniffing her hair before resting his massive head on her shoulder and letting out a long, doggish sigh.

_OOOOO_

To Harry and Hermione's horror it seemed that the escaped Death Eater really had escaped from Azkaban with the sole purpose of killing Harry. When Severus had first told Harry that Sirius Black wanted to kill him, Harry had been highly amused, it seemed that nowadays everyone was out to get him. This amusement quickly turned to fury when Harry learnt that the Death Eater was not only his godfather, but also responsible for the deaths of his parents.

Though Uncle Vernon, Aunt Helen, and Uncle David still went to work every day, Harry and Hermione had been banned from going outside, meaning that they were forced to rely on Dobby to walk Cosmo every day. Dobby, of course, was over the moon at having this new responsibility, he had taken a liking to the big black dog and enjoyed having someone to look after without Aunt Petunia trying to take over. Harry wasn't nearly as happy with this arrangement; every summer holiday for the past three years, Harry had taken his family on a walk in the Yorkshire Dales, encouraging them to share in his love of the outdoors. This year the trip had been cancelled because Severus had decided that the Dales were the ideal place for Sirius Black to attack them.

When Harry asked him to sign his Hogsmeade permission form, Uncle Vernon said no, justifying his refusal by saying how visiting Hogsmeade would be too dangerous with Sirius Black on the loose. This, along with having not left the house for almost three months, made Harry particularly irritable by the time the date of Aunt Marge's visit rolled around.

Fortunately, Aunt Petunia had still agreed to allow Harry and Hermione to stay with the Weasleys, meaning that Harry only had to spend four days with Aunt Marge. In Harry's opinion, this was four days too many as he would rather take his chances with Sirius Black than spend even a minute with Aunt Marge.

The day before Aunt Marge was due to arrive at The Terrace, Harry and his family began a process Hermione had named 'the purge', in which all evidence of magic was removed from the house. The two owls were sent to stay with Neville and Dobby moved into Hermione's house. Harry's school supplies were moved into one of the Grangers' spare bedrooms and Severus had had the Department of Magical Transportation disconnect all of the downstairs fireplaces from the Floo Network.

That night, the Dursleys, Grangers, Harry, Severus, and Charity celebrated their success in purging the house of magic with dinner.

When Harry sat down at the dinner table between Uncle Vernon and Hermione, he was in a particularly foul mood. Dudley had returned home from school almost two weeks ago and in that time, he'd been allowed to leave the house five times, in three months Harry had only gotten to go outside four times.

Halfway through pudding, Severus tapped his glass with his spoon to get everyone's attention and cleared his throat. "Ahem."

Harry looked up from his trifle, smiling grudgingly; he'd been expecting this and was happy for his uncle. Unfortunately, though, Harry was trying to be purposefully miserable, a feat made impossible by Severus and Charity's announcement.

Hermione noticed far too much, and as soon as Severus and Charity had arrived that morning, she had nudged him through the bond, mentally gasped, and pointed at Charity's left hand.

Harry smiled and felt a small bubble of excitement rise in his chest as Severus took hold of Charity's hand and surveyed the room. "Charity and I... we have an announcement to make." He paused and Harry was surprised at how nervous his uncle sounded. "We-we're getting married." He looked at Aunt Petunia who was watching him expressionlessly.

She sat still for several seconds before standing up abruptly and making her way around the room.

Harry exhaled loudly as she pulled Charity into an embrace and said. "Congratulations, you know for such a long time I worried that Severus wouldn't ever find someone. When I realized that he had found himself a girlfriend I did worry that she wouldn't be good enough for him. But, my dear, you are both perfect for one another." Petunia let go of Charity and looked at Dudley, Harry and Hermione. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come and congratulate your new aunt and your uncle."

"Thank you." Charity whispered tearfully. "Your acceptance means so much to me."

Aunt Petunia smiled. "There's no need for those tears. We accepted you as soon as Severus brought you home; you're part of the family now." She then turned to Severus. "I do have to ask why you took so long to introduce us, though."

"I'm sorry?" Severus asked. "You've met Charity several times before."

Petunia's nostrils flared slightly. "You know exactly what I mean, Severus; you have been seeing one another for at least a year. I am a mother, Severus, do you think I didn't notice you behaving like a lovesick teenager last summer?"

Harry smirked when Severus blushed, looking almost like a naughty schoolchild; Aunt Petunia was one of the few people who could get that kind of reaction from him. "There are several reasons." Severus said stiffly. "Firstly, I didn't want to frighten Charity; I admit I am a rather formidable person to get to know but imagine how much worse it would be if I added my... _Lily's_ family, the _boy-who-lived_, his bondmate, and her family. The other reason is Harry and Hermione; it is difficult not being able to tell their friends about having one teacher so close to the family, imagine if I suddenly added another staff member for them to keep from their friends."

Aunt Petunia nodded, seeming to accept the excuses.

Glad that Aunt Petunia was happy for Severus; Harry scuttled around the table and pulled Charity into a hug. "Congratulations, _Aunt _Charity." He said with a grin.

Hermione, who was beside herself with joy, pushed Harry aside and hugged Charity before taking her hand and admiring the pretty white gold ring Severus had bought for Charity.

Harry turned to his uncle and said, "Congratulations, Sev."

Severus smiled and looked lovingly over to Charity, who had been whisked across the room by Aunt Petunia, Hermione, and Aunt Helen so that they could better inspect the engagement ring. "Thank you, Harry." Harry wrapped his arms around his uncle's waist and Severus stiffened slightly before smiling slightly and hugging Harry back.

Severus let go of Harry and turned to Uncle Vernon who patted him on the back and said gruffly, "Congratulations, you've done well for yourself, she's a-a lovely lass."

Severus smiled and licked his lips. "Ah, I wanted to ask you, Vernon, if you didn't mind... would you perhaps, would you be my best man- a-at the wedding, of course."

"It would be an honour, Severus." Said Uncle Vernon, ruffling Severus's hair and smiling.

_OOOOO_

_Harry._

_I'm sure that by now Severus has warned you about Sirius Black and the danger he poses to you. Do not take these warnings lightly, Sirius is highly dangerous. Your father and Sirius were very close at school, almost as close as you and Hermione__;__ no one could have predicted him turning against your father and that is what makes him so dangerous. _

_As long as I knew him__,__ he opposed the __D__ark __A__rts and even now I don't know what made him join Voldemort. His family allied themselves with the __D__ark __A__rts, but Sirius always strove to separate himself from the Black family__;__ he was the first Gryffindor Black in centuries and was disowned by his family at the age of sixteen when he was taken in by your grandparents and your father. Sirius was best man at your father's wedding and was named your godfather. I am not telling you this to upset you, Harry, but to warn you of what he is capable of. Sirius Black is a ruthless killer who murdered a man who had been his best friend- almost a brother __-__ for over a decade. I doubt he would hesitate in killing you and that is why you need to be careful. _

_Do not go anywhere without an adult accompanying you, stay inside as much as possible__,__ and keep your invisibility cloak and wand with you at all times. _

_It is highly likely that Sirius will have other unknown __D__eath __E__aters with him__,__ and after the way you acted with Lucius Malfoy I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one behind Sirius'__s__ escape._

_Remember, Harry, though I can hardly say I know this Sirius Black__,__ I did once know him and if he is anything like he once was__,__ then he will make a truly formidable enemy, topped only by Lord Voldemort himself. I once told you that Malfoy was dangerous, but he is nothing in comparison to Sirius. Not only is he a skilled wizard but he is also loyal, highly creative, and I once saw him best his own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange__,__ in a duel._

_Watch your back and as soon as you return to school begin practicing the spells and hexes you have researched._

_Keep safe._

_Remus._

_OOOOO_

_Moony._

_I've not been let outside since Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban__,__ so you don't have to worry about me getting attacked or going after him. I'm going to practice more spells, the speed of my spell casting__,__ and my aim. I promise I won't go after Sirius Black until I can best Severus in a duel, but when I can I'll make him pay for what he's done. It might take several years but I'll catch him__,__ and when I do he won't stand a chance._

_My Aunt Marge came over for the week, she put__s__ Voldemort to shame on the evil scale, but fortunately__,__ me and Hermione only had to stay at home for a few days and we are now staying with the Weasleys, along with my many pets. Ro__n__ was un-petrified a few weeks ago and seems all right. Ron's older brother Percy was made __H__ead __B__oy but this made him more upset because he always hoped that he and his girlfriend would be __H__ead __B__oy and __H__ead __G__irl together. It's really horrible seeing him like that because he's not acting at all like the Percy we all know. Me and Hermione had a chat with him and he's not doing great, we tried to give him some advice but it's really hard to know what to say. _

_See you soon._

_From Harry._

_OOOOO_

_Dear Harry,_

_I think you misunderstood what I meant in my previous message. Don't learn the spells so you can go after Sirius; learn them so you can protect yourself. Don't go after him__,__ you will be putting yourself in unnecessary danger__.__T__he __M__inistry will catch Sirius, what I suggested was simply a precaution._

_I'm glad that your friend, Ron, is okay. From what Severus told me__,__ it seems that without you and Hermione he could have been much worse off. As for Percy, I can't tell you what to say to him, it can be difficult finding the right words when someone has lost a loved one and all I can say is that you should be sincere, say what you think is right._

_Remus._

* * *

_**AN: Thank you to everyone for reading. And thanks to my beta and everyone who reviewed.**_

_**-beksta**_


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Although Fred and George seemed to be teasing at least one member of their family at any given time, Harry had to admire their family loyalty. Percy was the usual target of their pranks, but after what had happened with Penelope, they had refrained from causing any trouble for their brother. In fact, as they walked onto platform nine and three quarters, the twins flanked their brother on either side, glaring at anyone who even looked too closely at Percy.

As far as Harry knew, Fred and George had not made even a single comment about Percy having a secret girlfriend. Percy seemed grateful for this and when Harry actually saw him out of his bedroom, he seemed a lot more amiable, albeit rather dejected, which, considering what had happened, was understandable.

Harry hugged Mrs. Weasley goodbye, and thanked her, for what was about the tenth time, for letting them stay with her. Mrs. Weasley smiled fondly and patted Harry on the head. "It was no trouble, dear, a pleasure to have you, and after what you did for Ginny..." She smiled again and said, "You're welcome to stay with us whenever you want, Harry. Make sure you take care of yourself at school." She turned to Hermione who was standing next to Harry's trunk and waiting her turn to thank Mrs. Weasley. "The same goes for you, dear; it was a pleasure to have you both staying with us."

Hermione stepped forward, beaming, and hugged Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you, I had a lovely time."

Mrs. Weasley smiled, again insisting that 'it was no trouble', before turning to Ron and kissing him on the forehead. "Have a nice time at school, and stay out of trouble." She warned, wrapping her arms tightly around him and giving him one last kiss as the whistled sounded, letting them know that the train was about to leave the station. "Go on now, hurry up, or else you'll miss the train."

Steam was billowing from the engine as Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny disappeared onto the train. Harry thanked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley once more as he, Ron, and Hermione grabbed hold of their trunks.

The train began slowly rolling forward and Ron ran to the door of the nearest compartment, throwing it wide open. Harry dived in and pulled Hermione on behind him, feeling Cosmo leap in behind him under the invisibility cloak. The trio leant out the window to wave goodbye to Ron's parents as the train picked up speed, turning a corner and blocking them from view.

They set off down the corridor, searching for somewhere to sit. In a compartment at the very end of the train, they found Neville, Seamus, and Dean sitting in a compartment with a sleeping man who looked slightly homeless. Harry frowned; the only adult he'd ever seen on the Hogwarts Express was the woman who pushed the food trolley.

He slid the compartment door open and stepped inside, pulling his trunk in behind him. He nodded his head in the direction of the man and mouthed. "Who's that?"

Neville rolled his eyes and Dean snorted, asking quietly, "Are you kidding?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, sliding his trunk into the luggage rack and allowing Cosmo to slip under his seat as he sat down between Hermione and Seamus.

"It's Lupin, you dolt." Ron said, sniggering and sitting down next to Neville.

"You're kidding, I hardly recognized him; he looks terrible." Harry said in a whisper, glancing over at Remus and studying him.

"It's just been the full moon." Hermione said, frowning in concern.

"He looks pretty rough, doesn't he?" Ron said as he peered over at Remus.

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend. "Imagine what it'd be like changing into a wolf every full moon."

"McGonagall turns into a cat all the time." Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, well, the Animagus transformation is completely different." Harry said. "It's smoother and you're choosing to transform. Werewolves are forced to transform because of the lunar cycle, and your magic is trying to act against it so it's more painful."

Neville blinked at Harry and frowned slightly. "How do you know that?"

"Well I toyed with the idea of becoming an Animagus for quite a while so I had to look into it, and me, Hermione, and Seamus did research on werewolves." Harry said smirking at the look of surprise on his friends' faces.

Hermione gasped aloud. "You _toyed _with the idea of becoming an Animagus?" She glared at Harry, turning all the way around in her seat to face him. "What on earth were you thinking? Do you realize how dangerous it is? Why didn't you tell me?"

Harry cringed backwards in his seat as Hermione bombarded him with questions. "Don't worry; it's really hard so I decided not to bother."

"So you just gave in?" Hermione asked, still glaring.

"What?" Harry asked suddenly feeling very confused, she now seemed angry with him for deciding _not_ to become an Animagus.

"It seemed difficult so you _gave in_? Do you even know the meaning of the word _perseverance_?" She said the word 'perseverance'slowly, emphasising each syllable as though Harry was extremely stupid.

"_Oh_." Harry said, suddenly realizing what was wrong with Hermione. She was annoyed at him for giving in so easily and although she was probably just disappointed in him, Harry felt as though Hermione was being purposefully irritating. "That wasn't the reason I decided against it..." Harry said quickly, trying to think of an excuse that didn't simply boil down to his own laziness. "I, uh, saw how dangerous it was and decided that the costs outweighed the benefits."

Hermione smiled and leaned back in her seat, placated. "Oh, well, I completely understand. You shouldn't even try learning how to become an Animagus until you are of age, your magical core isn't strong enough."

"Yeah." Harry said, feeling, for once, extremely happy that Hermione's mental shields were stronger than his, meaning she couldn't read his emotions. "That's exactly what I thought."

Dean met Harry's eye across the compartment and grinned, shaking his head in amusement.

"Anyway, I've got something to tell you all." Harry whispered, leaning forward in his seat as he began telling Neville, Seamus, and Dean all about Sirius Black and what Remus and Severus had told him.

Dean seemed severely shaken by Harry's news, and the colour drained from Neville's face. "Lestrange's cousin is after you?" Neville asked quietly.

Harry nodded solemnly. "Moony," he nodded in Remus' direction. "Said he's as good as her at duelling too."

Neville's eyes widened and his voice shook slightly as he spoke. "What're you going to do?"

"Train," Harry said. "I'm going to learn defensive magic and I'm not going to stop. It won't be like with the Animagus stuff. I won't give in until I'm good enough to track Sirius Black down and beat him." He gritted his teeth and fixed his friends with a stony glare. To his surprise, none of them challenged him, instead nodding and asking him about what progress he had made towards his goal.

_At one o'clock the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door._

_"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding towards _Remus_. "He looks like he could do with some food."_

Harry shook his head. "Nah, he'll be tired after the full moon. I'll buy him a couple of Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs for when he wakes up."

The third years took turns to go up to the food trolley, Harry buying the most out of all of them as he was buying food for four people: him, Hermione, Remus, and Cosmo.

Surreptitiously, Harry dropped a Pumpkin Pasty on the floor and slid it under his seat with the side of his foot, so that his dog would be able to find it. He'd decided that, as dogs weren't actually allowed in Hogwarts, he would keep Cosmo a secret from all of the adults he knew, meaning that he wouldn't be able to tell Neville, Dean, and Seamus about him until after the feast.

Once he'd finished his lunch, Harry leaned backwards in his seat, suddenly realizing that since getting on the train he hadn't actually heard Seamus speak; in fact, he had spent almost the entire train journey with his eyes closed and head resting against the train window.

"Seamus, are you all right?" He asked, clasping his hands together and watching his friend intently.

"Just tired." Seamus looked up at Harry.

"Did you sleep at all in the holidays?" Harry asked looking at the dark purple circles under Seamus' eyes in worry.

"Just leave it, I'm fine." Seamus said with a sigh, resting his forehead back against the glass.

"You're not, though." Harry protested feeling slightly hurt that Seamus was lying to him. "You look awful."

"I said leave it." Seamus growled forcefully. "I'm _fine_."

"Suit yourself." Harry said coolly, crossing his arms, turning to Dean and beginning a conversation about football.

About an hour later, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle poked their head around the compartment door. "Ah, Potter, still alive?"

"Malfoy," Harry said with a pleasant smile. "Still a git?"

Malfoy's leaned against the door frame and said casually, "So, have you heard that my mother's cousin's out of Azkaban? I've heard he wants to kill you." Malfoy shrugged and tilted his head to the side, trying to gauge Harry's reaction to the news.

"Don't worry, Malfoy, I'll handle it; perhaps, when I'm ready to face Black, I'll get a chance to get your father back for last year. I don't think the acquisition of my new house elf is quite enough... after all, your father _is_ a _murderer_."

"How dare you, Potter." Malfoy spat, pulling out his wand.

Behind Harry, Ron and Dean got to their feet, drawing their wands at the same time as Harry did.

"How dare I?" Harry asked, taking a step forward and narrowing his eyes. "How dare _I_? Your father, Malfoy, is responsible for the death of Percy's girlfriend; he almost killed Ginny- _he_ was responsible for a basilisk running loose in the school for a whole year. Your father is a dishonourable coward. And do you know what the most interesting thing is? He was perfectly content to sit back and allow a basilisk to massacre the students at the very school his _son_ was attending."

"My father is more of a wizard than you could ever hope to be." Malfoy growled, pointing his wand at Harry.

"Your father, Malfoy, is a disgrace." Harry said trying to regulate his tone so that it wouldn't betray him by shaking in anger.

Ron took a step forward and narrowed his eyes. "Don't even try and defend him, do you realize how much damage your father has done to my family?"

Malfoy laughed coldly. "And it's nothing more than a family filthy blood traitors like you deserve."

Ron dived at Malfoy but before he could reach him, Malfoy roared in pain, leaping into the air and clutching his ankle, which was inexplicably bleeding, the base of his robes damp and shredded.

"Wha-" Malfoy yelled, stopping as a still sleeping Remus gave a rather loud snort. "Who's that?" He asked sharply, still clutching his bleeding ankle.

"He's a new professor." Hermione said, looking up from the book she seemed to have been reading throughout the entire confrontation. "Lockhart hasn't been seen since he ran away from Hogwarts last year and Professor Lupin here is his replacement."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes and Harry smiled, adopting his best imitation-aristocratic-drawl. "Yes, Malfoy, and _my father_ was rather good friends with him when they were at school."

Malfoy smirked and retreated slightly, limping on his injured ankle. "Yes well your father married a mudblood didn't he Potter? So I'm not surprised that he was friends with someone like that."

Harry felt anger boil up in his chest, but as took a step forward and raised his wand to hex Malfoy, the compartment door slid open and Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle backed out, Malfoy hopping down the corridor as fast as he could go.

Harry sat back down, tucking his wand back into his robes pocket, disappointed at not having had a chance to hex Malfoy. "What d' you reckon happened to Malfoy's leg?" Dean asked as he and Ron sat back down.

Harry smiled to himself, feeling Cosmo slink back under his seat. "I'll tell you when we get to school."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Was it some sort of secret curse you learnt so you can kill Black?"

Harry shook his head and glanced over at Remus who looked to be still asleep. "No, but I can't tell you in front of Remus."

Dean nodded and Neville tilted his head to the side, watching Harry for several seconds, as though he was trying to work out what had happened for himself, before frowning and looking away.

As the afternoon wore on, it darkened as heavy rain began to fall outside the window of the compartment. The lanterns on the train flickered into life as the train rattled on, the wind roaring outside and the rain battering the windows. Remus didn't even stir as it began to thunder outside, and Harry was beginning to worry about him. It _had_ been a full moon, but it seemed strange for him to be sleeping so long.

The train began to slow, and Hermione sat up straight, slamming her book closed. "What's going on?" She checked her watch. "We shouldn't be there yet, it's too early."

"So why're we stopping, then?" Ron asked, hopping over Remus's outstretched legs to peer out of the now completely black window.

Dean _who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments._

_The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness._

"What's going on?" Harry asked, for some reason feeling the need to whisper in the darkness.

"I don't know, it's all dark out there." Harry could hear Dean feeling his way back to his seat in the darkness.

"Do you think we could have broken down?" Neville whispered.

"The train runs on magic, I don't think it can break down." Hermione said in a whisper, grabbing hold of Harry's hand and squeezing it tightly.

_There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out._

_"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard…"_

"Do you think we should go ask the driver what's going on?" Hermione asked in a high pitched voice.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Harry said, standing up at the same time as Hermione did. "Me and Hermione are off up to the front, well be back as quick as we can." Harry told the others hurriedly.

Hermione kept a tight hold on Harry's hand as they made their way to the door. He slid the door open and walked straight into someone who squeaked loudly and fell backwards. "Who's that?" Harry asked squinting and peering around as though he could see through the darkness just by narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Harry?" A voice asked in the darkness.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, feeling in the darkness for Ginny. "Are you all right?"

"I can't find Percy anywhere so I came looking for Ron, is he with you?" Ginny asked in a squeaky voice as she took hold of the hand Hermione wasn't holding and Harry pulled her to her feet.

"Yeah he's in our compartment, come in and sit down." Harry said backing into the compartment. "There's a spare seat on your left."

"Not here!" Harry heard Dean say hastily. "_I'm_ here."

Ginny let go of his hand and Harry heard her shuffle further into the compartment.

"Ouch," Ron hissed. "That was my foot."

_"Quiet!" _A hoarse voice ordered.

_None of them spoke._

_There was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. _Remus_ appeared to be holding a handful of flames._

_They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary._

_"Stay where you are." he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him._

Harry felt Hermione shiver as she leant against him. "Don't worry." Harry whispered in her ear, trying to reassure her. "Moony is here, we'll be all right."

"You don't think its Sirius Black, d' you?" Ron asked as Remus slid the door open.

_Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in _Remus's_ hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, greyish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water… _

_But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Harry's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak._

_And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings._

A chill swept over Harry and he shivered, pulling Hermione closer to him. Harry felt his breath catch in his chest. The chill increased, Hermione squeezed his hand tighter, and the chill suddenly receded as a familiar warmth washed over him, building in his chest and flowing to his fingertips.

It seemed that only Harry and Hermione could feel the building warmth, Neville was shaking so violently that his school hat tipped over and Ginny looked as though she was about to pass out. Seamus shouted out in anguish just as Ginny's eyes began to roll upwards.

Harry stood up, letting go of Hermione's hand and felt the warmth leave him. The chill once again washed over him and Harry couldn't understand where it could have come from. It seemed to be affecting his friends much more than it affected him.

Hermione stood up behind him and crossed the compartment, moving closer to Seamus who had begun shaking violently. Seamus yelled something unintelligible, but Harry didn't even have a chance to look over at him as his attention was fixed entirely on Ginny who was reacting in much the same way. Harry dropped to his knees, catching Ginny as she passed out, sliding from her seat and collapsing onto the compartment floor.

Remus moved towards the creature and pulled his wand from his robes, saying calmly, _"None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." _

The creature didn't move so Remus raised his wand, pointing it at the creature and muttering something. Something bright and silver shot from the end of Remus's wand and the creature hissed, gliding backwards out of the compartment.

The chill vanished again and this time everyone else seemed to feel it too, Ron's face regained its colour and Ginny stopped shaking. "Ginny!" Harry whispered. "Ginny, are you all right."

She blinked up at Harry, her face pale and eyes wide and frightened. "H-Harry?"

Harry sighed in relief and helped her onto her seat; Ron immediately swooped in on his sister, fussing over her and asking if she was all right.

"What was that?" Harry asked, looking up at Remus as he climbed back into his seat.

"A Dementor." Remus said, as he snapped a massive slab of chocolate into chunks. "One of the Azkaban guards."

"But what happened to everyone?" Harry asked, as the lights flickered back into life.

"Dementors feed on happiness; they drain everything that is good from your souls, peace, joy, hope; if it can, a Dementor will suck the very soul from your body, leaving you as little more than an empty shell, incapable of thought, unable to feel. You exist but it's not you, just an empty body." Remus said as he handed Ginny and Seamus a chunk of chocolate. "Eat this, it'll help warm you up."

Harry shuddered at the thought of having no soul. "Why did Ginny and Seamus have worse reactions?"

"When they feed, Dementors force their victims to re-live their worst memories. Ginny and Seamus, of course, both had terrible ordeals last year and so this makes them more vulnerable when it comes to Dementors. Of course, this does not make them weak," Remus added hastily. "Many of the strongest wizards react adversely to Dementor attacks, Professor Dumbledore for example."

Remus handed out the rest of the chocolate, Harry shook his head when Remus offered a piece to him. "No, I don't need any, I didn't really feel much from the Dementor, the others need it more."

Remus frowned slightly and glanced at Hermione. "_Of course_." He muttered more to himself than anyone else. "Well, that is very interesting; we'll have to speak about that when we get to the school. I need to speak to the driver now, excuse me..." He put the chocolate wrapper back in his pocket and exited the compartment.

Harry looked back at his friends, Hermione had moved seats and was now sitting next to Seamus and whispering soothingly in his ear.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked Neville who was still very pale and shaking.

Neville gulped. "It was dreadful, I f-felt like everything that was good had been sucked out of me."

"Eat the chocolate." Harry urged, patting him comfortingly on the arm. "If Moony says it'll help, then it will."

Ginny let out a great sob from where she was sitting with Ron, and Harry held out one of the chocolate frogs he'd gotten for Remus. "Have this, I don't think Remus will mind." He threw it across the gap and Ron caught it and handed it to his little sister who he was still trying to comfort.

Looking around the compartment Harry didn't know what to do, all of his friends were suffering and there was nothing he could do to help them. He couldn't even relate to what they were going through as he and Hermione seemed to be not affected by the Dementors. Harry sighed and looked up at the roof of the carriage. Not only did he have to begin practicing his magic for when he finally came face to face with Sirius Black, but it also seemed as though he now had even more research to do on his and Hermione's bond.

With another sigh, Harry decided that he would probably have to just give up doing his homework, after all there was no way he could give up Quidditch, and now, thanks to Hermione, he was taking far too many courses than he could possibly handle.

Remus re-entered the compartment and Harry glared at him accusingly. "Why didn't you warn me that you were going to be a professor?"

Remus smiled and tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, _Professor _Moony, you were a Marauder; we're not going to get away with anything this year- you could've at least given us a heads up."

"Ah, but that would've ruined the surprise." Remus said with a wink.

After several minutes of silence Remus cleared his throat. "I have a request to make."

"Yeah?" Harry asked. "What can we do for you, _Professor_?"

"Would it be possible for the seven of you to keep quiet about my... _condition_? Not as many people are as accepting of it as you." Remus blushed slightly and coughed.

"Of course," Harry and Hermione said immediately, in unison.

"We won't tell anyone, Professor." Hermione said. "It's fascinating really, we study werewolves this year and you'll be able to give the class a better insight; not only will you be better at describing them, but you won't portray them as vicious animals as many professors would. And I imagine that you having been a Marauder will make your lesson plans much more interesting and imaginative."

Aside from Hermione, no one talked_ much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets._

Harry, Hermione, Seamus, Neville, and Cosmo climbed into one of the carriages, which Harry assumed was pulled by some sort of invisible, magic horse.

"I've got a new dog." Harry announced as he sat down in the carriage. "Look," He let Cosmo out from where he'd been hiding under his cloak and beamed at Neville and Seamus. "He bit Malfoy."

"What's his name?" Neville asked as he held out a tentative hand for the dog to smell.

"Cosmo, Hermione picked it because she doesn't think I'm very good at picking names, she thought the name Hiss was particularly unimaginative."

"Where _is_ Hiss?" Neville asked frowning. "I did wonder when you got on the train."

"Sev's got him. He didn't think it would be good for me to so blatantly break school rules by bringing a snake as my other pet, also Aunt Petunia hates animals and I think she kind of hopes I'll forget about him." Harry grinned. "She hates dogs more than anything, actually."

"She hates dogs?" Neville asked, frowning down at Cosmo. "So are you planning on hiding him under your cloak forever?"

Harry shook his head. "Me and Hermione have been reading up on the theory of Disillusionment Charms so we can keep him a secret at school and then when we get home Hermione's going to persuade Aunt Helen to let her get a 'new' pet."

"And you think she'll agree?" Neville asked sceptically.

"Yeah, they tend to do everything Hermione asks." Harry shot Hermione a disgusted look. "Did you know we used to do ballet? For three years, all because _her_ parents won't say no to her."

Harry saw the corner of Seamus's lips twitch upwards as he let out a small laugh. "Did you have to wear tights?" Harry was surprised to hear that Seamus's voice sounded so tired. Harry decided to pretend that nothing unusual had happened on the train, if he pressed it now after asking him if he was all right on the train and being snapped at, Seamus might become moody again.

Neville snorted and looked questioningly at Harry, struggling to keep his face straight.

Harry blushed and nodded his head. "Sometimes."

Seamus laughed and Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "What's so funny?"

"Well, it's not all that manly is it? Most Muggle lads I knew at school did football."

"You're calling me un-manly?" Harry asked incredulous, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "I'm_ Harry- the hero- Potter_, you can't get more macho than that."

"You couldn't, until we found out you did ballet." Seamus said with a grin.

"I think you'll find that Harry was very good at ballet." Hermione said with a glare at Neville and Seamus.

"I'm sure he was, Hermione, but that doesn't make him any more manly. I'm afraid the damage is done and now we all know that Harry did ballet, he will never live it down." Seamus said lightly. "It's just the way things work with us blokes," He glanced at Harry and smirked. "Well, us manly ones, anyway."

"The second most dark wizard in all of Britain is after me, so you'd better watch your back 'cause I'm due a confrontation and if you're not careful, _Finnegan_, you're going to miss out on all the action."

"Finnegan?" Seamus hooted with laughter. "That's the first time you've ever called me that, _Potter."_

"Well, you'd better watch your back." Harry said, trying to keep a straight face as he glared at his friend. " 'Cause this time next year I'm going to be the most _'badass'," _He glanced at Neville and Hermione and grinned. "Duellist in the school."

"You wouldn't attack me," Seamus said with a grin. "You love me too much."

"Of course," Harry said dryly. "The problem with that method of reasoning is that I love Hermione and _she's _going to be my duelling partner. If I can hex her who's to say I can't hex you?"

"You can't hex your friend without provocation." Seamus said, in a voice that reminded him of Hermione's when she was lecturing them on right and wrong. "It's just one of those unwritten rules."

"And saying I'm not manly isn't provocation?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, it isn't, and I was just teasing you, that's allowed."

"And if I told you that at recitals I sometimes had to wear a leotard?" Harry asked, tilting his head to the side.

Seamus snorted and shook his head. "I won't provoke you, our wonderfully humble and heroic, badass." He inclined his head in Harry's direction in a mock bow.

"That sounds to me like you're mocking me." Harry said, smiling slowly.

"Ah, yes, well, I'm not frightened of you at the moment, you haven't started training yet." Seamus shrugged and turned to Hermione, muttering what sounded suspiciously like 'pansy'.

Harry patted the seat next to him and Cosmo padded over, placing his paws on the seat. "You don't think I'm a pansy do you?"

Cosmo tilted his head and licked Harry's cheek, swatting Seamus's leg with his tail with each wag.

_OOOOO_

Harry was just about to enter the Great Hall when a voice called out from behind him. "Potter, Granger, Finnegan, Weasley! I want to see you all."

Harry turned around, surprised to find Professor McGonagall standing not far away, calling across the crowd. Harry took hold of Hermione's hand and smiled apologetically at Neville. "Keep an eye on Cosmo, would you?" Harry nudged his dog over to where Neville was standing and whispered for him to go with Neville, hoping that he would be able to understand what he was meant.

Neville nodded and Hermione dragged Harry towards Professor McGonagall. "Not you, Weasley, just your sister; move along now."Ron looked around, his mouth slightly open as Ginny made her way over to the professor.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Harry whispered to Ron, hoping that Ginny couldn't hear him.

Ron nodded and mouthed 'thanks' as the crowd of students surged into the Great Hall, leaving Harry, Hermione, Seamus, and Ginny standing alone in the entrance hall with Professor McGonagall.

The four students followed McGonagall up a staircase and down a corridor, all of them linking hands, Hermione holding Harry's hand, who was clutching Ginny's, who had a tight hold on Seamus's.

They entered the office and McGonagall seated them all in front of the large, welcoming fire. "Professor Lupin sent an owl to the school; he said that the two of you were taken ill on the train." She looked at Ginny and Seamus as she spoke.

Before either of them could speak, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in. Ginny still looked weak but Seamus, who seemed to have recovered somewhat from the incident blushed, looking as though there was nothing he wanted less than to be fussed over by Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm fine." Seamus said abruptly. "I don't need anything."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and glanced over at McGonagall who said, "It was a Dementor."

"Ah," Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall shared a dark look. "Terrible creatures, and after what happened to these two last year."

_"What do they need?" asked Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should they perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"_

"I'm fine!" Seamus was almost shouting, his face was still flushed red and he had his arms crossed angrily across his chest. "I don't need anyone to fuss over me, I don't need medicine, and I most certainly don't need to spend any time in the hospital wing!"

McGonagall looked affronted. "Well, Mr. Finnegan, I hardly think you are fit to decide whether or not you need treatment. Poppy, what do you suggest?"

She pursed her lips and bent over, peering into Seamus' eyes and taking his temperature. "He should have some chocolate at the very least."

"I've had some." Seamus said. "I'm fine, R- uh, Professor Lupin gave me some on the train."

_"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"_

"Are you sure you feel all right, Finnegan?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"Yes." Seamus said tersely, his arms still crossed.

"And you Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked turning to Ginny. "How are you feeling?"

"S-still a bit shaky." Ginny stammered. "But I d-don't want to go to the hospital wing, either."

McGonagall made a tutting noise before nodding her head. "Very well, you may both return to your dormitories tonight, but if either of you begin to feel faint tell someone immediately so that you can be escorted down to the hospital wing. Now, would the both of you kindly wait outside whilst I have a word with Potter and Granger."

Ginny and Seamus nodded and left the room, but Madam Pomfrey stayed, taking Seamus's recently vacated seat. "Now, I have two things to speak to the two of you about. First, I understand that neither of you felt the effects of the Dementors, is this true?"

"Yeah, when I held Hermione's hand I felt warm." Said Harry, looking to Hermione who nodded her head in agreement.

"I had a theory on that." Hermione said. "Harry did some research on souls during the holidays, and it seems that the bond strengthens our souls. The analogy Harry used, I think, was sticks, if you tie them together, they are stronger and harder to snap, but if you do manage to snap one, they both snap. If you simplify all of the components of the bond, that is how it works. If you imagine a Dementor as a Muggle vacuum cleaner designed to suck only one stick, and our bond as two tied-together sticks, you can sort of see why we weren't affected; as a Dementor does not have the capacity to deal with our connection, which I suppose is essentially built from everything that is good about us."

The second thing McGonagall had wanted to speak to Harry and Hermione about was the obscene number of classes that they had both opted to take. Harry had sincerely hoped that she would tell them that it would be quite impossible for them to do this, and that instead, they should choose several lessons to drop. Unfortunately, that did not happen; instead, McGonagall slid a strange hourglass type thing across the desk to them, along with a pamphlet entitled 'So you've decided to Time Travel? The dos and don'ts when using a Time-Turner.'

McGonagall had then told them all about the Time-Turner and how, because of the soul bond, she'd charmed it so that both of them had to be using it at the same time for it to work, and how it was important that before they used it they read the pamphlet thoroughly.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Harry was awoken late on his first night back at Hogwarts by several loud yells and a scream. He leapt out of bed, immediately recognizing the voice, and crept hesitantly across the dormitory picking his way around the haphazard mountains of clothes and books that he and Dean had already managed to spread across the entire dormitory.

"Seamus?" He whispered, lighting the tip of his wand and walking cautiously to the edge of his friend's bed. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Came Seamus' reply in a somewhat muffled yet grumpy tone of voice.

Across the room, Harry could see the heads of his dorm-mates peeking out from behind their own hangings. He put his finger to his lips and shook his head, mouthing 'I'll sort it'. The three faces slowly disappeared, looking particularly relieved that they were allowed to return to the comfortable beds.

"Seamus." Harry whispered again. There was no answer and Harry sighed, pulling back the hangings of his friend's bed and crawling in. "Did you have another nightmare?" Harry asked as he settled himself cross-legged at the foot of Seamus' bed.

Seamus, who was sitting up, his back propped against his pillows and legs pulled up close to his chest, scowled at Harry a look of mortification crossing his face. "Hermione told you, then?" He hissed in little more than a whisper.

Harry pursed his lip and nodded his head, disliking the look of frightened defiance on Seamus' face. "Of course she did, she's worried about you."

"Well, she shouldn't have, it's none of your business whether I'm having nightmares or not." Seamus glared at Harry, as though he was causing him offence simply by being worried for him.

Harry smiled thinly, trying and failing to inject a small amount of joviality into his voice as he spoke. "It is when you're shouting wakes us all up."

"Yeah, well, I'll learn a Silencing Charm for tomorrow night." Seamus said, not meeting Harry's eyes as he scowled down at his bed sheets.

"That's not going to solve your problems, though." Harry said, studying Seamus's face. He looked very small, smaller than usual, and had dark, bruise-like circles under his eyes, almost as though he was recovering from a broken nose. "You can't have had a decent night's sleep since school broke up for summer." Harry noted. "Your nightmare, it was Riddle, wasn't it?"

Seamus didn't meet Harry's eyes; he just glared down at his bed, refusing to speak.

"You know it'll help to speak about it." Harry said. "If you ignore it, it'll just get worse."

Seamus was still refusing to answer and Harry sighed. "Fine, act like that, but I'm not just going to leave it, Shay, you need to talk to someone; if not me or your mum, then what about Hermione, or Madam Pomfrey, or even Charity?" Seamus pursed his lips and Harry ran a hand through his hair, feeling very awkward, he wasn't good at speaking about feelings to anyone who wasn't Hermione and Seamus just seemed to be putting him on the spot with his frightened eyes and tired looking face. "Just think about it, mate, okay, ignoring it won't do anything to help." Harry said, wishing that Hermione could just fall into his head and say the right things for him.

Harry slid off Seamus' bed and whispered into the darkness, "Cosmo, come here, boy."

There was a soft thudding noise as the big black dog leapt off Harry's bed and padded across the room. "Watch Seamus for me, please." Harry said, bending down to ruffle the shaggy dog's fur. "Good dog."

"Cosmo will look after you; he'll wake up if anything comes near you, and bite them like he did to Malfoy, _and_ I've just had another idea, stay here." Harry said feeling suddenly much more confident in his cheering-up-abilities as an idea he didn't think even Hermione could have come up with struck him.

Seamus grumbled something that Harry couldn't hear as he made his way back over to his bed and opened his trunk; digging through the debris at the bottom Harry found what he was looking for. A small box wrapped in cotton wool and spellotape. He made his way back across the room and sat down on the end of Seamus' bed. "Ron got me this for my birthday from Egypt, but I had to wrap it up when I got to his house because it wouldn't stop making noise 'cause Fred and George are always up to something untrustworthy."

Harry dug his nails under the tape and pulled, using his teeth to rip it from the box; he then unwound the mass of cotton wool and dropped it onto the floor. "Look, this is a pocket Sneakoscope, it lights up and makes a noise if anyone nearby is doing something untrustworthy. I'll put it on your nightstand and then you'll have twice the protection." Harry couldn't remember a time when he'd seen his friend more frightened, not even after they escaped the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry felt his heart sink as he realized that the nightmares were a regular occurrence in Seamus' life and had been every night since the chamber had been closed.

"They might be awful themselves, but the dementors won't let anything dangerous into the castle." Harry said yawning as he stood up again. "And nothing already in the castle is going harm you; the basilisk's gone and Riddle's off somewhere in Albania or Algeria, I can't remember which. All we've got to do now is help you deal with all the bad stuff in there." He pointed his finger at Seamus' head and smiled tiredly at his friend. "Try and get some sleep, Shay."

Harry rubbed Cosmo's ears one last time and closed Seamus' hangings, making his way back to his bed as he added another thing to the ever-growing list in his mind of things he had to do.

_OOOOO_

If asked, Harry would normally say that more than anything he liked being outside on rainy days. There was just something he loved about stepping outside and being immediately and completely saturated with rainwater. A raging storm could be described as nothing less than sublime with the pounding rain, roaring winds and booming thunder, everything, even life itself just seemed insignificant and for reasons he couldn't fathom, Harry found comfort in this.

However, for the first time in his life, Harry was not happy about the rainfall first thing on Monday morning. He was cold, wet, tired, and wanted nothing more than to return back to his dormitory where his warm, comfortable bed seemed to be calling out to him. Instead, he was stuck outside, wandering around in the freezing cold whilst Cosmo paddled in the shallows of the lake, seeming unbothered by the dreadful weather conditions.

By the time Harry had finished his walk, showered, changed into his school robes, and fed his dog, it was time for him to go down to the Great Hall with his friends, who, Harry enviously noted, had only just gotten up out of bed.

Sighing, Harry poured himself a mug of tea and added liberal amounts of sugar to his porridge as Professor McGonagall made her way down the Gryffindor table, handing out the new third year timetables.

"Excellent, we're starting some new subjects today." Said Hermione in a voice so enthusiastic, Harry thought it ought to be banned at the breakfast table.

"Yeah and most of them are crammed into first period." Harry grumbled, spooning porridge into his mouth. "How about we use that Time-Turner to go back an hour so I can have a quick nap before lessons?"

Hermione glared disapprovingly at him, and ignoring the comment about the nap, said, "What lesson do you want to go to first? I was thinking we could save Muggle Studies for last as I imagine it would be the most... fun subject."

"Right," Harry nodded. "So we'll go to Arithmancy first, since that will be most boring."

"I wouldn't say boring," Hermione protested. "It certainly sounds difficult, but in an interesting, challenging way."

"Yeah, boring." Harry said, finishing his tea and pouring himself another mug.

Seamus grinned and Harry was both pleased and jealous to see that his friend looked a lot less tired than he had the night before. "Good night's sleep?" Harry asked.

Seamus nodded, embarrassment flashing momentarily in his eyes. "Not bad, probably the best since... for a while, thanks."

Harry raised an eyebrow; Seamus couldn't have slept more than five hours the previous night and if that was the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time, Harry daren't even think about how little he'd been sleeping over the holidays. "You still look pretty sleep depraved. We can go see Pomfrey at lunch and get you some Dreamless Sleep Potion."

Seamus smiled in what looked to Harry to be a forced, unenthusiastic kind of way. "That'd be great."

"It's not a long term fix, mind," Harry warned, pretending to himself that Seamus had been gracious in accepting his help. "I've read up on it and you can't take it that often. If you take it constantly for more than a week, the asphodel, which is a key component in most sleeping potions, builds up inside you and can cause serious side effects."

"Merlin, you spend too much time with Snape." Seamus said, shaking his head. "What are these side effects then? Does it give you wind, make your skin go green, or somethin' like that?"

"If anything your skin'll go blue, it'll have an effect similar to the Draught of Living Death only there's less chance of recovery than with the Draught of Living Death." Said Harry gravely, fixing Seamus with a warning stare.

"So how long does it take for the asphodel to get outta your system?"

"Well, most people can take about seven doses in a week, but that would take about two weeks to get it all out of your system," Finishing his porridge, Harry picked up a slice of toast and began buttering it. "The problem with it is that not only is the asphodel dangerous but an over dose- that would be more than one dose within a twenty four hour period - can cause severe health problems, such as nose bleeds, vomiting and, weirdly, insomnia."

"You sound just like Hermione." Seamus shook his head again.

Hermione elbowed Seamus lightly in the ribs and frowned in amused dissaproval. "You say that like it's a bad thing to do research."

"Well, when it comes to Harry, it's just unnatural." Seamus said.

"I think it's rather good that Harry is taking an interest in studying." Hermione said as Harry picked up another slice of toast and began spreading jam on it.

"Hungry?" Seamus asked, looking almost impressed as he watched Harry fit almost an entire slice of toast into his mouth in one bite.

"Starved, was up walking Cosmo at five, and didn't get anything to eat before, and I've got two lessons more than you before lunch." Harry said his mouth still full as he picked up another slice of toast and stood up. "Well, I'm off to Arithmancy; see you in an hour, or... five minutes, I suppose. Save us a seat in Divination."

Harry shouldered his bag and gulped down his third mug of tea. "I haven't done speaking to you either; how about you walk Cosmo with me tonight, and we can talk some more?"

Seamus nodded half-heartedly and Harry turned away from him, taking hold of Hermione's hand as she dragged him out of the Great Hall, leading him to the Arithmancy classroom. Harry really was beginning to regret trying to compete with her; he didn't want to go to all those lessons, and he definitely didn't want to learn about predicting the future, he'd already had enough experience with prophesies to last him a life time. In fact, the only thing Harry really wanted to do was have a nap and then find an empty classroom so that he could begin practicing the spells he'd been reading about in the holidays.

As Harry saw it, the longer he took to become a good duellist, the longer Black would be loose, posing a threat to Hermione, his family, and his friends.

The Arithmancy lesson seemed to drag on for hours; Harry spent the lesson alternating between copying down Hermione's notes and attempting to sketch out the Gryffindor lion, which ended up looking like a upside down sock with a badly drawn star stuck onto the toe.

Divination wasn't much better; Harry and Hermione had to trek all the way up to the top of North Tower to meet Dean, Ron, and Seamus for another pointless lesson. Almost as soon as they sat down, the teacher, a rather mad looking woman named Trelawney, told Harry that his death was imminent and that he should watch out for a big, black dog called a 'Grim'. Trelawney then almost feinted when Hermione told her that Harry actually owned a dog, which looked a lot like a 'Grim'.

Unfortunately, the only two students who didn't believe Trelawney's prediction were Harry and Hermione, who spent the lesson trying not to giggle as Trelawney flapped around the classroom, telling people to 'clear their minds' and 'try to see past the mundane'.

Needless to say, Harry and Hermione were particularly happy to leave the stuffy Divination classroom at the end of the hour, and use the Time-Turner to go back an hour for their Aunt Charity's Muggle Studies lesson.

Muggle Studies proved to be much more interesting than any of the other lessons Harry had taken that morning. Though he definitely enjoyed the lesson, as it progressed Harry found himself wondering how Charity and Severus had ended up together. Charity seemed to be perpetually smiling, was always polite, and seemed to take real joy in teaching; whereas Severus was always annoyed about something, miserable, and hated almost all of his students. He really couldn't think of a more unusual couple, and yet, for some reason, they did seem to fit.

Towards the end of the lesson, after spending about three quarters of an hour on introductions and outlining the modules they would be studying that year, Charity stepped forward and wrote the word 'Muggles' in the centre of the black board.

She then turned to the class, and, smiling expectantly, said, "Now, I would like each of you to take a turn to come up to the board and write down what you know, or have heard, about Muggles."

Charity wouldn't allow Harry or Hermione to participate in this task as she said that they had an 'unfair advantage', but despite this, Harry found the whole thing both interesting and entertaining. It seemed that very few people actually knew anything about Muggles; Neville, who wrote 'use lektricity as magic substitute' on the board, admitted that without having spent so much time with Harry, Hermione, Dudley, and Dean he wouldn't actually have known anything, Ernie Macmillan, from Hufflepuff, knew about football, and Terry Boot, from Ravenclaw, knew about cars.

Some of the things written on the board were so ridiculous Harry could hardly believe people actually thought them true. Blaise Zabini, one of the few Slytherins in the class, stood up at the very beginning of the exercise and wrote 'their prejudice and ignorance drove Wizards into hiding' on the board. Harry didn't really know how to react to this; if it had been anyone else, he probably would have laughed aloud, but Zabini was one of the few Slytherins he actually found intimidating.

At the end of their lesson, Harry, Hermione, and Neville made their way to Transfiguration. Harry found it very surreal how he'd spent an hour in his Muggle Studies class, and yet, not even a minute had passed for his friends who were leaving Divination.

Harry took his usual seat at the back of the Transfiguration classroom as the rest of the class trouped in, looking particularly subdued. For a second, Harry wondered what he had missed in the minute he had been out of his friends' company until he caught Parvati Patil watching him nervously from across the classroom, and remembered that he was supposed to be dying.

Despite having already read up on the subject, Harry tried to concentrate as hard as he could as McGonagall told them all about Animagi. Even though he'd already written the transformation off as being too difficult, he thought it really would be quite cool to be able to transform into an animal at will. When McGonagall herself turned into a cat, Harry decided that maybe once he'd finished school he might have another look at it.

"_Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."_

Harry looked up startled, having being distracted by his attempt at drawing a picture of the Firebolt he'd seen in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, and saw everyone watching him.

Sighing, Harry crumpled up his piece of parchment as Hermione raised her hand and said,

_"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and —"_

_"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"_

"Me." Harry said, sitting up straight in his chair and smiling at Professor McGonagall. "And seeing as I could drop dead at any moment, I think I should be let off homework."

McGonagall fixed Harry with her beady eyes and smiled. "Nice try, Potter, but you seem to be in perfect health to me." She then looked up at the rest of the class and said very calmly, "Professor Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school and a far as I know they are all still alive and well."

Harry grinned and leant backwards in his chair, realizing this was his chance to let the class know he wasn't afraid by the ridiculous predictions, and said, "I don't know, Professor, you should give her points for selecting a student who has actually had several attempts on his life. I mean look at how many nutters there are after me, there's Voldemort for starters." When Harry said the name 'Voldemort', all of the students, with the exception of Hermione, flinched and Professor McGonagall winced.

Hermione nodded, smiling, and said, "I suppose your right."

"I know I am, there's also Black." Harry held up a hand with two fingers up, and added another one as he added, "Lucius Malfoy, Merlin that blokes mental, he tried to do me in just last year- right here in school. And then there was Quirrell."

"I don't think he counts, mate." Dean said, grinning as he joined in, he seemed to be the only person, other than Harry and Hermione, who was beginning to find Trelawney's predictions ridiculous. "He's dead." He added, as though to clarify why he didn't count.

"I suppose you're right. What about Draco, then? I mean he kind of hates me." Harry asked Dean.

"Not kill you hate, just normal hate, but I suppose you could count the Death Eaters, I bet they all want to kill you, I mean, you did defeat You-Know-Who."

"I guess so, but if I add all the Death Eaters, and Snape, he doesn't seem to like me very much, how many would that be?" Harry asked, holding up his hands and counting off people on his fingers.

"I don't know, maybe-" Dean began, but was cut off by Professor McGonagall.

"That's quite enough, now if the two of you would be kind enough to allow me to continue with my lesson." McGonagall said, her voice stern and, the corners of her lips twitching as though trying to fight back a smile. "Though I admire your courage whilst listing your many adversaries, Potter, I think that perhaps you and Mr. Thomas should compile your list during your own time."

Harry's smile grew and he nodded. "Of course, Professor, maybe I could show it to Professor Trelawney and see if she can get any clairvoyant vibes off it and tell me who will actually be the one to... you know, do me in."

McGonagall nodded, still looking torn between humour and disapproval. "Perhaps." She said dryly before once again addressing the class as a whole. "Can anyone tell me the difference between an Animagus transformation and human to non-human animal transfiguration?"

When the Transfiguration class finished, Harry and his friends made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"What's up with you two?" Harry asked Ron and Seamus as he scooped stew onto his plate and picked up a slice of bread.

Ron picked up a chunk of beef on the end of his fork but didn't put it in his mouth. "Harry," he said quietly, taking a long, deep breath. "Are you sure it's really safe to keep Cosmo?"

Harry snorted into his goblet of pumpkin juice. "You're kidding, right?"

Ron frowned, still not eating his stew. "No, I'm being serious. Your dog looks just like a Grim, do you really think it's sensible to keep him as a pet."

"Don't tell me you actually believe that rubbish." Hermione said rolling her eyes. "The reason Harry's life is in danger is because he doesn't know how to keep his mouth closed around mentally unstable adults."

"That," Harry said, jabbing his fork in her direction. "Is complete nonsense, the only person I've annoyed who seems to be a tad on the insane side me is Malfoy's father."

Ignoring Harry, Hermione continued, "It's just a coincidence that Harry adopted a big black dog."

"No, it's not. You don't understand, my Uncle Bilius once saw a Grim and now he's dead."

Hermione snorted. "Yes, and everyone who ever shook hands with Paracelsus is now dead, it doesn't mean he was the reason behind their deaths."

"Twenty four hours, Hermione, he died twenty four hours after he saw the Grim." Ron said, beginning to sound angry.

"Yes, Ron, but how many people have seen a big black dog and not died? People only see the significance when there's a death." Hermione said hotly. "And anyway Ron, surely for your argument to have any validity whatsoever, Harry would have to be dead by now as we've had Cosmo several months now and Harry is still alive."

"Yeah, and in case you've forgotten, the day Harry found Cosmo was the day you found out about Black's escape."

Harry groaned, mopping up the last of his stew with a chunk of bread. "Look, I'm not dead and if I do die, blame Sirius Black and not Cosmo. Black's escape and me finding Cosmo are completely unrelated, so you really don't have to worry about me dying because of some stupid prediction."

"I don't think you should be so flippant about it, mate." Seamus said, looking just as nervous as Ron. "Trelawney has just predicted your death and we've all seen proof that she _can_ see the future."

"Clutching your chest and gasping about some dog is hardly a prophecy. Anyway, you know as well as I do that well over half of all prophecies made are never fulfilled." Harry said, adding more stew to Hermione's plate and saying, "You haven't eaten enough."

"You're not my mother, Harry." Hermione grumbled, scooping the stew onto her fork and putting it in her mouth. "Happy?"

"Don't speak with your mouthful, Hermione." Harry chastised, trying not to grin.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned back to Seamus and said, "Look at it this way, Professor Trelawney probably makes at least twenty predictions a day, times that by seven, that's one hundred and forty a week and if you time's that by fifty two..." Hermione paused for a second and looked up at the ceiling, obviously trying to work out the sum. "That's over seven thousand predictions a year. I'm not going to bother trying to work out how many that is in her lifetime so far, but think about it. She's made what, one? Maybe two prophecies that have ever come true? You're not going to flinch if I point my wand at you having, after thirty years of trying to learn magic, only ever cast two successful spells. Face it, she's a failed Seer who has nothing better to do with her time than tell teenagers that they're about to die."

"Looks like _someone's_ mind is clouded by the mundane." Harry said, grinning at Hermione and feeling indignation flow through the bond in waves from her. "You've just got to broaden your mind, Hermione." Harry said, trying to imitate Professor Trelawney's falsely ethereal tone.

"Of course, perhaps there's something wrong with my inner eye." Hermione said in the same tone as Harry. "It's a sure sign that you'll fail her class when you're not seeing death omens everywhere," She sighed aloud. "Well, Severus did warn us it was a useless subject."

"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug, "I think it's quite fun, in what other lesson do you get to sit around on comfy chairs and drink tea? It's like visiting someone's batty old grandma all we need now are the biscuits."

"'Batty' being the operative word." Hermione muttered, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "Now Arithmancy, _that_ was interesting."

"It was just confusing." He turned and looked at his friends, raising his eyebrows in incredulity. "It was all numbers, adding up, and making stupid, difficult charts."

"Sounds like a Muggle maths lesson to me." Dean said frowning.

"It is!" Harry said, nodding his head quickly. "It's just like maths."

"Ugh, sounds horrible." Dean said.

"Muggle Studies was good, though." Neville said. "Professor Burbage seems really nice."

"Oh, she is." Hermione said earnestly. "And it was fascinating hearing about what other Wizards think they know about Muggles."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, especially Zabini."

"Why, what did he say?" Ron asked, still looking slightly annoyed.

"That Muggles are ignorant and prejudice against Wizards, and it's because of that that we have the Statute of Secrecy." Harry said, trying not to smile.

"Well, the only Muggles I know are your family," Ron said, nodding his head in Harry and Hermione's direction. "And they seem pretty accepting of magic."

"Yeah, well, you know Zabini, he thinks he's better than everyone." Harry said, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that he wasn't standing behind him. "I've even heard him mocking Malfoy for his family's allegiance to Voldemort."

"The git." Ron said in disgust, stabbing a piece of meat on his fork and glaring over at the Slytherin table.

_OOOOO_

After lunch, Harry and his friends made their way down to Hagrid's hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. It was no longer raining and the sky was now a clear greyish-blue colour. The grass was damp and soft and Harry found himself rather looking forward to his walk with Cosmo that evening, where he was planning on practicing some of the hexes he'd read about in the holidays.

_It was only when he spotted two only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that he realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins._

_Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start._

_"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"_

For a mad second, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to actually lead them into the Forbidden Forest, not that he would have minded- he'd been interested in going in there ever since first year when Dumbledore told them it was out of bounds. However, much to Harry's disappointment, Hagrid instead led them around the edge of the trees, to what looked like a small paddock.

_"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —"_

"Do you know where Seamus is?" Ron whispered as Hagrid explained to the class how to open their books.

"I don't know, he went to see Madam Pomfrey after lunch about his nightmares," Harry looked around, scanning the crowed of Slytherins. "Malfoy isn't here, either."

"That can't be good, d' you think we should go find him?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the Slytherins.

Neville shook his head. "This is Hagrid's first lesson; we can't just run off and leave him with that lot." He gestured at Crabbe and Goyle who looked almost lonely without Malfoy standing in between them.

"Oooooooh!" Harry looked up at Lavender Brown's squeal.

_Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures._

_"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence._

_"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they? So, if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer…"_

None of the other class members seemed to want to, so, sighing, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ron, and a rather reluctant Dean all took a step closer to the Hippogriff enclosure.

Surprisingly, once Hagrid had explained to the class about how proud Hippogriffs can be, Neville was the first one to step forwards to meet the strange creatures. Neville stumbled forward, and putting a hand on the paddock fence, he hastily scrambled over. Almost as soon as Neville ducked his head, the Hippogriff bent its scaly knees and sank into a bow. However, when Hagrid suggested that he ride the Hippogriff he had just befriended, Neville took a step backward, shaking his head, and insisted that he'd just eaten a rather large lunch, and that he would probably throw up if made to fly.

Seamus didn't show up until the end of the lesson, when Hagrid was leading the class back around the Forbidden Forest to his hut.

"Where've you been?" Ron asked. "You missed a great lesson, Hippogriffs- me, Harry, Dean, and Nott actually got to ride them."

Seamus looked directly at Harry, and smiling slightly, said, "I've got detention tonight, got into a duel with Malfoy on my way back from the Hospital Wing and Snape wasn't too impressed."

"Seamus! What were you thinking, duelling on the first day of term?" Hermione reprimanded.

"Yeah, I know, not a great idea, right?" said Seamus.

Harry narrowed his eyes at his friend, suddenly understanding what had happened. "So you won't be joining me on my walk tonight, then?"

"Oh, Merlin! Harry, I completely forgot." Harry had to admit that Seamus was a good liar; in fact, if Seamus hadn't been avoiding eye contact, Harry might have actually believed him.

"Shame," Harry sniffed pretending that he didn't know what Seamus was doing. "I'm beginning training tonight, and was going to show you the notes I made on all the defensive spells I found over the holidays."

After dinner, Harry made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower to collect Cosmo and the stack of parchment on which he'd made a table of all the spells he wanted to learn, their incantations, wand movements, effects, and how to reverse them. The notes themselves had taken Harry the entire summer holiday to write, and Harry hated to think about how long it would take for him to learn them all, especially since several were OWL level and very difficult.

Once Harry had hidden Cosmo safely under his Invisibility Cloak, he made his way back down to the common room to meet Hermione so that they could head out onto the grounds to walk Cosmo and practice duelling.

* * *

**AN: Sorry, I didn't mean for it to take so long for me to update, unfortunately I just don't seem to have enough time for everything at the moment. I'll definitely be updating by the twentieth of October at the very latest as I'm going on holiday the day after and won't go away without updating again.**

**Thanks for everyone who has read, reviewed and added me to their alerts, and thanks to by Beta 'Bitch Goddess'. **


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Disappointed when he'd first received his timetable, Harry spent almost the entire week eagerly awaiting Thursday when he'd have, what he had decided would be, his two favourite lessons of the year; double Potions with Severus and Defence Against the Dark Arts with Remus.

The potions lesson, whilst enjoyable, was the same as ever with Harry and Hermione, not wanting to disappoint their uncle, both brewing up almost perfect potions and Severus swooping around the classroom breathing down his students' necks and shouting at Neville. Defence Against the Dark Arts, however, was an entirely different matter. As soon as Remus entered the classroom on Thursday afternoon, he told them to put their books away, take their wands out, and follow him. Excited by the prospect of a practical lesson, the entire class leapt to their feet and hurried after Remus who led them to the door of the staffroom, which he opened with a flick of his wand before taking a step back and telling the class to enter.

The class trouped into the room, which was empty except for one teacher; Severus was sitting in one of the low chairs, watching as the class filed in.

"_Leave that door open__,__ Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." _He got to his feet and strode to the door, putting his hand on the handle before turning around and once again surveying the class. "It is possible that no one has warned you, _Professor_, but when it comes to this class I would not expect too much."

"And why is that?" Remus asked, looking slightly confused as he frowned at Severus.

"Well, Lupin, I really have nothing good to say about this class, but I think you'll soon find that the main problems stem from that group." Severus gestured lazily at Harry and his friends and sniffed disdainfully.

"There's the two little ring leaders, Longbottom and Potter. Longbottom over there is incompetent- he makes a disaster out of even the simplest potions, and I'm sure you already know Potter by reputation- exceedingly arrogant, impetuous, attention seeking, impertinent... well the list could go on. And then there are the four devotees, Miss Granger-the know-it-all, Thomas and Finnegan- the poor simpletons seem to hang off Potter's every word, and then there's Weasley- well I think his name speaks for itself." With a final, slightly pained glare at Harry, Severus wrenched open the door and strode out of the room, letting it slam shut behind him.

Harry ground his teeth together, furious with his uncle; of course, it was imperative that Severus pretended to hate him to keep his cover, but there was absolutely no need for him to publicly humiliate his friends as well.

Wincing, he glanced quickly over at Ron who was flushed and shaking with suppressed rage. Running a hand through his hair, Harry put his other hand on Ron's shoulder and said, "Sorry about that, mate; that was way out of order, I'll have a word with him about it."

Ron nodded, though not looking any less annoyed, and Harry turned back to Remus who had begun telling the class about a boggart which was hiding in an old wardrobe in the corner of the room. After teaching the class the charm to repel boggarts, Remus ordered them to make a line in front of the wardrobe so that they could take turns facing it.

Harry slid into line behind Hermione, who had her eyes closed and was taking deep calming breaths. As Remus opened the wardrobe door, Neville ducked out of the line, and pale faced, rushed across the room, where he had a hurried, whispered conversation with Remus who patted him, sympathetically on the shoulder and gestured for him to sit on one of the chairs out of the way.

Harry watched as each of his classmates took turns to step forwards and face their fears. Harry was unsurprised by most of the forms people's boggart took; for example, several people were afraid of snakes, and as Ron stepped forward, the boggart turned into a spider almost as large as Aunt Petunia's refrigerator. After several seconds, in which Ron stood rigid, staring, terrified, at the spider he pointed his wand at the giant spider and shouted, '_Riddikulus_!' Immediately, the spider's legs vanished and it fell flat on the ground, rolling around madly.

Seamus stepped up after Ron and the boggart morphed into the shape of a man Harry recognized immediately as Voldemort, or rather, the young Tom Riddle they had met in the Chamber of Secrets. Riddle smirked at Seamus and took a step forward, shifting slightly so that his robes moved, revealing the small black diary he had tucked under his arm.

Gritting his teeth, Seamus pointed his wand at the boggart Riddle and shouted, '_Riddikulus!_'

Riddle's diary immediately burst into flames and the old Hogwarts robes Riddle was wearing vanished with a pop to be replaced by a pink tutu and leotard. Eyes wide, Seamus took a step backwards, met Harry's eyes and whispered, "I bet that's exactly what you had to wear for ballet."

Harry aimed a punch at his friend's arm. "A tutu? You're bloody kidding?"

Seamus grinned and stood on his tiptoes with his hands held high over his head. "Am I doing it right?"

"No," Harry said crossing his arms, "you're not."

Shaking his head, Seamus made his way to the seats at the back of the classroom where those who had faced the boggart were sitting, waiting to quiz him on the identity of the man in the tutu.

After Seamus, Hermione stepped forward, almost as soon as she did the boggart vanished. For a second, Harry thought that Hermione had somehow, inadvertently destroyed the boggart, and then he felt it. Hermione was standing so still he could have mistaken her for a statue but that wasn't what had him so worried. Harry could feel a flood of panic flowing though the bond from Hermione. The surge of panic and agitation coming from her in such intense and overwhelming waves was so staggering that Harry felt his knees buckle at the mental strain.

Gritting his teeth, Harry closed his eyes and tried to force his way into Hermione's mind through the bond. Concentrating solely on letting Hermione's emotions wash over him, Harry tried to feel what she did, allowing his mind, for the first time ever, to fully merge with hers. He felt a jolt in his stomach and the world began to spin.

Once everything had righted itself, Harry opened his eyes. He was in a clean, white room, which though well lit seemed disturbingly dark. Somehow, Harry wasn't entirely sure how, he had entered Hermione's mind, just as she had done to him in their second year. It felt very strange, he was still himself and could see everything he had been able to see before he had entered Hermione's mind, but it was through a thin layer of mist, which seemed to be overlaid by what Hermione was seeing.

His mind, though still his own, was filled with Hermione's thoughts, memories, and feelings. Harry knew, of course, that Hermione was terrified of being alone but feeling it from her perspective was particularly overwhelming. The isolation was so smothering that his insides, or rather Hermione's insides, physically ached. It wasn't simply the absence of other people that was causing him pain, but the feeling of drowning; the feeling of complete, all consuming, solitude and the knowledge that it was all her fault. Outrageous thoughts swirled in Harry's head, thought's that weren't his own:

'_If only I'd tried harder to make friends',_

'_What would have happened if I hadn't flaunted my intelligence?'_

'_Would people like me if I was prettier or friendlier?'_

Hermione's thoughts seemed to be getting louder and more aggressive and Harry tried to force his way back out of her mind.

Hermione was hurting and he couldn't help whilst he was trapped. The swirling thoughts seemed to be dragging Harry deeper and deeper into Hermione's mind and though he tried to focus on being himself, his own thoughts and insecurities, he couldn't find a way out.

Before he could even begin trying to work out another way to remove himself from Hermione's mind the madness stopped, everything was suddenly very clear. There was an echoing shout, _'Riddikulus!'_ It sounded as though he himself was speaking, whilst at the same time hearing it from a distance.

Harry felt the grip Hermione's mind had on him loosen, and he managed to wrench himself back and fully return to his own body and thoughts. Although, as usual, he could feel Hermione's thoughts in the back of his mind, they were no longer so smothering that he could barely think for himself.

As before he'd entered her mind, Hermione was standing in front of him, wand out and facing the wardrobe; only now, where the boggart had been, he, Harry, was standing smiling at Hermione, enrobed in light with his hands outstretched towards her.

Harry frowned, confused, and took a step closer to Hermione, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm-I'm your... anti-boggart?" He whispered in her ear.

Hermione turned around and through tears, she beamed at him. "You're the first one who came and took away the loneliness; even when you didn't like me, you were still there for me."

Harry smiled and pulled her close to him, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "You don't need to worry about being lonely, Hermione, I'll always be there for you."

She smiled and pulled Harry into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Harry." She let go, took a step back, and still smiling, made her way to the back of the classroom, where Lavender and Parvati were sitting together, whispering rather loudly about what it mean for Harry to be Hermione's anti-boggart and how Harry had just kissed her. Harry was fairly certain that by dinner everyone would have heard about how Harry Potter had kissed Hermione Granger in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Pulling out his wand, Harry took a step forwards to face his boggart. He didn't have any idea of what it would turn into but felt that he would be prepared to face it whatever it was.

The boggart-Harry smiled at him and with a loud crack changed shape, taking the form of Hermione. The Hermione-boggart was lying out, dead and pale, on the staffroom floor, bleeding heavily from several deep lacerations, which wound around her body, arms, and neck. Harry realized what he was seeing almost as soon as the boggart had changed form; it was what would have happened to Hermione if he hadn't been able to save her when they'd faced Quirrell.

As the endless stream of blood poured from the slit in Hermione's throat, Harry felt his head spin, he didn't even realize that a body could hold so much blood, and yet, it kept coming, pooling around her head and staining her hair red. Maybe that was part of what the boggart did, making what frightened Harry the most all the more horrible.

Harry pulled up the left hand sleeve of his robes and looked down at the jagged scar; that was all that it had taken to save Hermione so how could she be there now. He'd saved her; maybe he could do it again if he tried his hardest. Surely there was a way for magic to save her.

"Hermione?" Harry whispered.

There was a low murmuring from behind him, but Harry couldn't take his eyes off Hermione. Someone put a hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off, shaking his head.

Forcing himself to remember where he was, Harry closed his eyes, what he was seeing wasn't real, it was just a boggart, a manifestation of his worst fears. He tried to think of something funny, something he could use to repel the boggart.

Taking hold of the first thing he thought of, the time that he'd fallen into the Longbottom's moat, Harry held up his wand and shouted, '_Riddikulus!_'

_Crack_, the boggart's form shifted but instead of becoming funny it morphed into the shape of another body. Harry was sure he felt his heart stop as the new body appeared before him. This time the body was Dudley's. From the appearance of the corpse, Harry concluded that his brother, or at least the boggart's imitation of his brother, had drowned. The Dudley-boggart's eyes were wide open and glassy and there was a fine foam around his mouth and nose. His lips were tinged a bluish colour and his skin had become so thin that his veins could be seen clearly.

Horrified, Harry recoiled away from the boggart, and feeling his eyes begin to sting, he pointed his wand at the corpse and without thinking shouted, '_Riddikulus'_

Dudley's body morphed into Aunt Petunia's. She looked so peaceful that Harry would have believed that she was sleeping if not for the eerie paleness of her skin, and the small, shining dagger protruding from her chest.

'_Riddikulus'_

Aunt Petunia vanished to be replaced by a corpse, which, though headless, was unmistakably Uncle Vernon. There was so much blood that Harry felt his head spin. So terrified at what would come next, Harry pointed his wand at the boggart, but couldn't bring himself to say the spell. Harry wanted, needed, to get away from Uncle Vernon's body but daren't even think about what would come next, Severus, Seamus, Neville, Dean, Ron...

Harry felt a hand wrap around his arm as he was pulled away from the boggart. Looking up, he saw Remus, leading him to the edge of the staffroom where Neville was sitting alone.

"Harry, are you all right?" Remus knelt down and frowned at Harry in concern.

"I-I couldn't make it funny." Harry put his hands up to run them through his hair, frantically wrapping his fingers around the long strands, trying to force himself to stop shaking. "I just c-couldn't do it." Harry looked pleadingly up at his father's best friend; he must understand how he felt, how could anyone possibly male losing the ones you loved more than anyone else in the world funny?

"I understand perfectly, Harry." Remus said, resting his hand fatherly on Harry's shoulder. "You should have told me, I would have let you sit out."

"I didn't know- I didn't realise." Harry looked up to see the entire class watching him as Hermione crossed the room to sit by his side.

Feeling his eyes begin to sting, Harry looked down at the floor under the guise of examining his shoes so that the class wouldn't see if he began crying. Harry felt Hermione squeeze his hand and heard her say in very high-pitched voice, "Do you mind if we leave, Professor? You can give any homework for us to Ron."

"I think that would be a good idea. Neville, would you mind accompanying them?" Remus said standing up and looking around the classroom.

Harry looked up to see Neville nod and stand up. With the entire class' eyes on their backs Hermione, Neville, and a still shaken Harry crossed the room and left the staffroom.

As they walked, Harry suddenly began to feel very foolish. His reaction had probably seemed rather ridiculous to the rest of the class, Hermione and Vernon's corpses may have been disturbingly ghastly; nevertheless, Harry's reaction had certainly been out of proportion. After all, all he'd really faced was a boggart imitating a corpse, and _he_ was supposed to be _Harry Potter__,_ the boy who had singlehandedly defeated Voldemort.

Soon enough, they found themselves taking the familiar route back up to Gryffindor Tower. As they approached the Fat Lady's portrait Harry turned to Neville. "C-can I ask you something?"

Neville raised an eyebrow. "You're going to ask why I sat out, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded feeling slightly sheepish, maybe Severus had been half right about his friends; at the moment, Neville did seem much more like the leader of the group. "Did it have something to do with the form your boggart would take?"

Neville nodded wearily. "Yes."

"Wh-" Harry began to ask.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville sighed loudly. "She's what frightens me the most, and like you, I don't know how I can make her funny."

"Of course." Harry nodded sheepishly, feeling slightly rude for asking such a personal question.

"Seamus's boggart- that was Tom Riddle wasn't it?" Hermione asked as they reached the portrait hole. "Fortuna Major."

"Yes, but did you see the diary? I think that was what he was most afraid of." Neville said as the Fat Lady's portrait swung open and he climbed through the portrait hole.

"I was thinking the same thing." Harry said with a nod. "I mean if Voldemort's attacking me, I'm still going to be frightened whether he's wearing a dress or not. And what with his nightmares, I imagine the diary's frightening because of what was in it."

Neville smiled. "That's what's so frightening about Bellatrix, all the things she's done and what she can still do, but even then I can't really set her on fire."

"I don't know- if I had the chance..." Harry said slowly.

Neville shook his head. "You know? I don't think you would."

"It's nothing less than she deserves, Voldemort too, after what they've done- being set on fire is too good a fate for them." Harry said, walking ahead of Neville as they made their way up the spiral staircase to their dormitory.

"Even so..."

"In my opinion, when it comes to that family – the Blacks – they should all be shoved on a bonfire and left to burn." Harry said venomously as he pushed open the dormitory door, the images of Hermione, Vernon, Dudley, and Petunia swirling around in his mind. "They're all evil, the lot of 'em."

"I don't think you'd kill Black, despite everything he's done I don't think you could." Neville said, glancing up at Harry's expression and hastily adding. "That's not a bad thing; I don't think there are many people I could say that about."

"You're wrong." Harry shook his head. "You saw what forms my boggart took; I'd do anything – and I do mean anything – to prevent that from happening."

"There's a difference between revenge and defence, you're not the type of person to take revenge."

Harry felt suddenly very angry; Neville was wrong, he had far too much faith in Harry. Harry found himself disgusted that he wasn't as good a person as Neville, after seeing his boggart and thinking about his parents there was nothing he would like more than to destroy Sirius Black for what he'd done. "I'm learning defensive magic so I can track down and _kill_ Sirius Black, tell me that's not revenge."

"You're learning defensive magic so you can protect Hermione and your family." Neville said slowly, glancing over at Hermione who was sitting on the end of Harry's bed, stroking Cosmo.

Harry frowned and shook his head but said nothing.

"You showed me your notes on the spells you want to learn the other day." Neville said, taking his books out of his school bag and stacking them neatly in his trunk.

"Yeah, but what does that prove?"

"The first spell on that list – the list of spells you want to learn which you put in order of priority – is the shield charm. That's _defensive_ magic not offensive."

Harry shook his head angrily. "Sirius Black will pay for betraying my parents."

"You're not denying it, Harry." Neville smiled.

Harry picked up a thick cloak and draped it over his arm. "Are either of you coming to walk Cosmo?"

Neville grimaced but stood up anyway. "Yeah, all right then, you training tonight?"

"Of course, especially after what happened in defence- I won't let any of that happen in real life." Harry said darkly.

"Maybe you could teach _me_ that shield charm?" Neville asked hopefully as he collected his own winter cloak.

"Yeah." Harry said nodding and smiling at Neville. "I bet you'll be good at it."

Harry glanced over at Hermione who was still sitting with Cosmo, and realized that in his anguish over the form his boggart had taken, he'd almost completely forgotten about Hermione and her own boggart.

Harry crossed the room and glanced over at Neville, who had busied himself searching through his trunk for the pair of trainers his grandmother had bought him in Muggle London.

"Hermione, I... accidentally fell into your head when you were fighting the boggart." Harry whispered.

Hermione glanced up at him, and arching an eyebrow in curiosity, asked, "And?"

Chewing on his lower lip, Harry sat down on the bead and smiled sheepishly. "Don't get mad, but I heard some of your thoughts, well more like your absurd insecurities."

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and pursed her lips, still stroking Cosmo. "And which of my 'absurd insecurities' did you hear, Harry?"

"Just three and I thought you ought to know that you're wrong."

"Wrong, am I?" Hermione asked, and though her voice was still light she seemed to be stroking Cosmo's fur with much more ferocity.

Harry nodded. "Yes, you are."

Hermione looked as though she was about to start crying. "You had no right to look at my thoughts, Harry."

"I had no choice, you stepped up to face the boggart and... a tidal wave of emotions hit me."

"So you think my fear of being alone is 'absurd' then?" Hermione all but growled at him.

"What? No! Of course not." Harry really couldn't understand how girls had an innate ability to twist even the simplest of statements and make them rude and offensive; did they just like to think people hated them? Even with his unique insight into Hermione's mind, Harry wondered if he would ever actually be able to understand girls.

"So how am I wrong?"

"Well..." Harry said, picking his words very carefully so that Hermione wouldn't explode at him. "You have a pretty good fear- very rational, but I think the reasons you gave yourself for being alone weren't good. Like the not being pretty thing and flaunting your intelligence."

"Are you really trying to tell me that you don't think I flaunt my intelligence?" Hermione asked, still looking very annoyed at Harry.

Harry was really struggling to understand why Hermione was so desperate to prove to him that she was such a hateable figure. "Well, you do..." Hermione's eyes narrowed and Harry wondered if she would be annoyed at him whatever he said. "But in a good way."

"In a good way." Hermione scoffed. "How can my being an insufferable know-it-all, as Malfoy so kindly words it, be, in any way, good?"

"Because it makes you, you. You're amazingly clever and you don't try and hide it like other girls might, you should be proud of being so clever- hold your head up high."

"What, so they can laugh at my face?" Hermione said, looking down, her eyes beginning to water.

"Why would they laugh at your face?" Harry asked frowning.

"Because I'm ugly, everyone thinks so."

"You're kidding?" Harry asked, shocked.

"No, haven't you heard Pansy Parkinson talking about it in the corridors?"

Harry snorted. "You don't actually believe what she says do you? That ugly cow, she's got a face like a pug."

"It doesn't mean she doesn't know what she's talking about."

Harry shifted on the bed and put his hand under Hermione's chin. "You're beautiful, Hermione."

"No, I'm not, look at my teeth and hair, I'm a mess!" Hermione said, her voice shrill.

"There's nothing wrong with your teeth, and your hair is perfectly fine. You have wonderful eyes and a beautiful face, and one day everyone else is going to be able to see what I can, and then me and Dudley are going to have a bunch of boys to beat up for looking at you too long."

_OOOOO_

As the weeks wore on and the end of October neared, Harry found himself struggling to cope with his heavy workload. Oliver Wood had the Gryffindor Quidditch team out on the field three times a week, Harry had only just mastered the shield charm, and to top it all off, Harry still had no idea what Professor Vector was talking about in Arithmancy, despite all of the extra homework she was giving him.

Harry was both annoyed and thankful about Severus keeping him from visiting Hogsmeade. He had really liked the idea of going on an official trip to the village; however, the day of the visit would also be the first Saturday since coming back to Hogwarts that Wood wouldn't expect him to be down on the Quidditch pitch at the crack of dawn.

On the morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Harry stayed in bed until Hermione woke him at ten. Once Harry had gotten dressed, he and Hermione made their way down into the Gryffindor common room and, avoiding Colin Creevey, they headed out through portrait hole.

Hermione was leading them in the direction of the owlery to send a letter to Dudley when a voice called, "Harry? Hermione? What're you doing? Where are your friends?"

At the sound of the voice Harry turned around very quickly, coming face to face with Remus. "Hogsmeade," Harry said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible, "we weren't allowed to go because of Sirius Black."

Remus nodded. "Well, if you've got nothing else to do, how about the two of you come in for a cup of tea? You can tell me about your first week back." He stepped back and held the office door wide for Harry and Hermione.

Harry looked at Hermione who nodded, and taking hold of Harry's hand, dragged him into the office after Remus.

"Ooh, is that a Grindylow?" Asked Hermione, letting go of Harry's hand and crossing the office to inspect a rather large tank, in which sat a strange green creature with little brown horns and long thin fingers.

"Ah, yes, well done, Hermione, ten points to Gryffindor; we'll be studying them next lesson." Remus picked up a small dusty tin from his desk and turned to Harry, his eyes twinkling. _"I've only got teabags, I'm afraid — but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"_

"So you've heard?" Harry asked with a small smile as Remus tapped the kettle with his wand.

"Professor McGonagall told me and I must say I'm rather impressed by your lack of fear." Remus said, pulling out three chipped teacups and setting them out on his desk.

"Why, you don't believe all that stuff do you? I mean, like I said to McGonagall, there are plenty of people out there wanting to kill me and I'm best off worrying about that, than I am some big black dog."

Remus' eyes widened a fraction. "Big black dog?"

Hermione nodded, still standing next to the tank and watching the Grindylow with great interest. "Professor Trelawney saw the Grim in Harry's teacup."

Rubbing his chin, Remus took a deep breath, sighed and asked, "You haven't seen... a Grim have you, Harry?"

For a second, Harry thought about telling Remus about Cosmo who, at that minute, was in Hogsmeade with Neville, Seamus, Ron, and Dean.

"No." Harry lied, glancing up at Hermione and feeling awful for lying to Remus. "Why, you don't believe that the Grim is actually a death omen do you?"

Remus seemed rather relieved by the news that Harry had not seen a Grim, but despite this, Harry promised himself that he'd tell Remus about Cosmo at the end of the year when they were planning on asking Aunt Helen if they could keep the dog.

"No." Remus said, focusing on pouring hot water into the mugs. "But it is better to be safe than sorry."

Harry nodded and accepted the mug that Remus offered him. Taking a sip of the tea Harry frowned, thinking of their first defence lesson and looked up. "Moo- uh, Professor, I wanted to ask you about boggarts."

Remus lowered his cup and watched Harry in interest. "Yes?"

"Is there another way to get rid of them? I mean there's no way I could make what I saw funny, or even better, like Hermione did. I mean, I almost forgot it was a boggart, and then when I did, I was frightened of what it would turn into next, which I suppose is what it wants." Harry said, glancing up at Hermione who had rested her hand on his and was smiling at him.

"Well, Harry, what you are forgetting is that the charm I taught in class only forces the boggart to assume a more amusing shape, it does not drive them away- only laughter can do that."

"So all I need to do is laugh?" Harry asked.

"The laughter needs to be true- only genuine laughter can drive away a boggart." Remus said, nodding.

Hermione had just begun asking Remus about the Grindylow in the corner when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Remus called, looking up.

_The door opened, and in came _Severus, who_ was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly. _He smiled when he saw Harry and Hermione, and said, "Well, I am pleased to see that the two of you haven't decided to sneak out into the village."

"Us? Sneak?" Harry gasped in mock indignation. "Uncle Sev, I'm hurt!"

Severus narrowed his eyes and set the goblet down on the desk. "Your potion, Remus."

Harry grinned, sitting upright in his seat and trying to get a better view of the potion. "Not slipping poor Moony a love potion are you, Uncle Sev?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively.

If possible, Severus's eyes narrowed further and Hermione groaned and elbowed Harry in the ribs. "Could you be any more irritating, Harry? That potion is quite clearly the Wolfsbane Potion, look at the blue smoke." She said, almost disapprovingly.

"Wow, you can brew Wolfsbane?" Harry looked up admiringly at his uncle. "That's supposed to be one of the hardest, did it take you long? What are the key ingredients? We looked into it and the only information I could find, even in 'Moste Potente Potions', was aconite, obviously, and hellebore syrup."

Severus glanced at Harry. "Do you really believe me to be so incapable so as to be unable to brew a simple Wolfsbane potion."

"Simple?" Harry repeated. "You are kidding; everything I've read says that you shouldn't even attempt to brew if it you haven't qualified as a Potions Master."

"Am I not qualified enough, Harry?" Severus asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you are, like, one of only four Potions Masters in the country, but even so, it said that it's very difficult." Harry said.

"Yes, well, I am not an incompetent Potions Master." Severus smiled proudly. "I didn't become the youngest ever Hogwarts Potions Master because I like children."

"Yeah," Harry nodded gravely. "Merlin forbid you become a teacher because you actually _like_ children, bloody weird that would be."

Grinding his teeth, Severus swatted Harry with the back of his hand, hissed, "Language!" and looked up at Remus. "You'll have to drink it quickly if you want it to take full effect before the change takes you." He then turned to Hermione and smiled. "Well, I am impressed that you managed to keep him from sneaking out of the school, by the time you're of age they'll have to give you an Order of Merlin just for spending a decade bonded to Harry; Merlin knows you'd deserve it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Did you know, Severus, that I actually have real fans, people who would actually want to be bonded to me, just because they admire me _so very_ much."

"And yet, you know none who would willingly be bonded to the real you and not our little 'boy hero'." Severus said dryly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just 'cause people are stupid enough to obsess over a thirteen-year-old that they don't actually know doesn't make me any less a hero. I might not be who they think I am, and I mightn't have done all that heroic stuff, but the point is that in their heads I'm this awesome super hero and that's all a hero is, anyway. I'm just what people perceive me to be and nothing I say is going to change anything. I met this girl in Diagon Alley once and she'd got it into her head that I'd defeated a dragon when I was eight, and some bloke in the Leaky Cauldron thought I was a direct descendant of Merlin's. I bet you never guessed how hard it can be having ill-informed fans."

Severus frowned. "Don't, ever, join the Wizengamot, Harry. You'll find yourself getting halfway through an debate and changing your argument entirely."

Harry groaned. "No, I meant that in everyone's heads I'm a hero, and so those people don't ever know me anyway because they already think they know me, but not me, they think they know Harry Potter, who isn't me- well, sort of."

"That's just something you'll have to learn to deal with," Remus said, patting him on the shoulder and watching him pityingly. "I doubt many people would understand, anyway. I have had to live with the condemnation of being a werewolf, people either think of me as the wolf or pity me, and though it seems strange, I would liken what you are going through to lycanthropy. People either know you as 'the-boy-who-lived' or they pity what you have gone through. Very few people have the honour of knowing the person you truly are."

"I really wish I was just a normal boy." Harry said with a sigh. "But at the same time, I don't, I mean what would have happened if Sirius Black hadn't betrayed my mum and dad and I'd never met Voldemort?" Severus wrinkled his name as Harry said 'Voldemort' but otherwise no one reacted, which at Hogwarts was rather unusual. "Look at Neville, and Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, and all the people who were killed, would they still be alive now?"

Remus smiled fondly. "And that's why you really are a true hero; that level of unselfishness is rarely found outside of Hufflepuff house."

Hermione beamed proudly at Harry. "Sometimes I think Harry would make a perfect Hufflepuff, he is very Gryffindor, but like a true Hufflepuff should be, Harry is kind, loving, loyal, non-judgemental, and hardworking. In fact, the only Hufflepuff trait Harry doesn't possess is modesty, a word which unfortunately, Harry has never learnt the meaning of."

Both Severus and Remus said as one, "Just like his father." Severus sounded almost disdainful whilst Remus sounded rather nostalgic.

Remus and Severus both glanced at each other, almost stunned that they'd actually agreed about something. Both men chuckled uneasily but Harry felt suddenly very sick as a horrible thought struck him. He hadn't actually been sorted. Hermione was right, he was very Hufflepuff-ish, even Neville had said as much after he'd failed when facing his boggart.

How could he even be sure he actually fitted into Gryffindor, after all he was a Parselmouth, maybe that meant he had more Slytherin tendencies than Gryffindor. All the sorting hat had said was that he should go where Hermione had, and whilst at the time Harry had been fairly happy with it, thinking back on it now, Harry wasn't sure that he was any more. Maybe he wasn't a real Gryffindor.

Glancing down at his red and gold Gryffindor tie, Harry couldn't help but wonder if he actually had any right to be wearing it; after all, he was only a Gryffindor by default.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for taking so long for updating, thanks to everyone who has stuck with my story so far, and thanks to by beta Bitch Goddess. **


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: Sorry for taking so long to update, I've had this chapter ready for a while but have been reluctant to post it until I got the chapter I've been working on done. Over the next few weeks I have exams but as soon as that's over updates should be much more regular. **

**Thanks to everyone who has read, alerted, reviewed or added as a favourite, and a big big thanks to my bet Bitch Goddess who has been very patient with my slow progress.**

**- beksta**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Harry was walking across the entrance hall, making his way back to Gryffindor Tower after the final Quidditch match before the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game that weekend, when someone called to him from the doors of the Great Hall.

"Uh, Potter- Harry, can I have a word with you?" Harry turned to see Percy Weasley standing blushing, at the other side of the hall.

Harry frowned and crossed the entrance hall, hoping that he wasn't in trouble with the head boy. Percy hadn't seemed to be as strict this year, but maybe he'd heard that it was Harry who had booby-trapped the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Trying to school his features into as innocent a mask as possible Harry smiled politely and asked, "You all right, Percy?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak with you." Percy said stiffly.

Harry nodded, feeling that if Percy had wanted to tell him off he wouldn't have blushed. "So..."

"It's rather embarrassing, I'd rather not say here." Percy blushed again and looked around awkwardly.

"Okay, well there's a blocked off secret passage behind a mirror on the fourth floor, we can go there." Harry said, pointing in the direction of the stairs and hoping that Fred and George wouldn't be too annoyed that he'd let Percy know one of their hiding places.

Percy looked torn between relief and disapproval, and after what Harry imagined must have been a massive mental war in his head, Percy nodded and gestured for Harry to lead the way.

Harry set off at a brisk walk, wondering what Percy could possibly want to speak to _him_ about. It was obvious that he wasn't in trouble and that whatever he wanted to talk about was highly embarrassing but surely he had better people to talk to than Harry. The only thing he could think of that would be embarrassing enough to make Percy lush was that it was about a girl, but if it _was_ girl related he would probably talk to Oliver Wood who he shared a dormitory with.

When they finally reached the secret passage way Harry looked around to ensure no other students or teachers were nearby before pushing the mirror open and gesturing for Percy to enter the passage ahead of him.

Looking both uncomfortable and impressed, Percy ducked into the cavernous passage and inspected the upturned cauldron and three gas lamps.

"I suppose you put this in here." Percy said, grimacing as he gestured in the direction of the cauldron.

Harry nodded and sat down on the dusty floor. "Yeah, we had to brew a potion in secret."

The expression on Percy's face turned slightly pained as he surveyed the dirty passage floor. After several seconds in which he stood still, inspecting every inch of the cavern, Percy smiled slightly, and pulling out his wand, transfigured a nearby stalagmite into a high-backed wooden chair.

Percy sat down on the chair and tucked his wand back into his robes. "So, Harry," Percy said, entwining his hands together on his lap. "I've seen you practicing defensive magic on the school grounds."

Harry bit his lower lip and frowned, maybe he was in trouble after all. "Snape and Professor Lupin have both seen me doing it and neither of them have said that it's not allowed."

Percy smiled at Harry and shook his head. "No, I'm not here to tell you that what you are doing is not allowed." Percy took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "No, actually, Harry, I've come to ask for your help."

Harry snorted, wondering if Percy was joking. "You want _my_ help?"

Percy blushed fiercely and, straightening his glasses he, nodded once. "Yes. I would like to learn defensive magic with you."

"You got outstandings in all of your OWLS, why would you need _my_ help to learn defensive magic?" Harry asked incredulously, if he hadn't known that Percy seemed to disapprove of jokes he would have been certain that Fred and George had put him up to it for some reason.

"After what happened to Penny and Ginny, I've spent rather a lot of time reconsidering what I would like to do with my life. We've had so much disruption in the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts that we have spent very little time on actually learning defensive magic. I have decided that when I leave school I _will_ join the Ministry, but as an Auror. I want to keep people safe and I don't think I can do it without your help." Percy gulped and looked down at the floor, his ears turning the same pink colour that Ron's did when he was embarrassed.

"An Auror? That's brilliant, Percy, but what can I do? I'm only thirteen; I couldn't even do that transfiguration thing you just did." Harry pointed at Percy's chair.

"I've seen you out on the grounds practicing." Percy said stiffly as though this was as much as he needed to say to make Harry understand.

Harry nodded, feeling a blush spread across his cheeks. "Yeah, but, Percy, whilst I completely admire what you're trying to do, I don't think I'm the right person to help, it took me weeks to even learn the shield charm."

"I've seen what you have accomplished, Harry; when you did manage to master the shield charm none of your friends could get anything through it." Percy looked down adjusted his glasses.

"And you think I could help you?" Harry asked dubiously watching Percy once again nervously adjust his glasses in mild amusement.

"Yes, whilst I don't necessarily need you to teach me spells, I think that it would be advantageous for both of us if we have duelling partners. I would also like to ask if you would help me... get fitter."

Harry had to fight back a snort, he could quite clearly see how uncomfortable Percy was, sitting in a forbidden passageway asking a thirteen year old for help, but the situation was just so surreal. If it wasn't for the smell of gunpowder and polyjuice potion that still lingered in the passage Harry might've believed that he was actually dreaming. "You want me to help you get more in shape? Why?"

"Duelling isn't only about casting spells, Harry, it's about speed, it's about getting your aim right, and being able to get out of the way of the spells you can't block."

"Ah, well, I can't exactly help you with aim, I mean mine's absolutely dreadful, I nearly ended up killing Seamus in second year because of it. And if by speed, you mean casting speed, I'm not all that good at that, either."

"But you have brilliant reflexes." Percy added, smiling down at Harry. "If you can help me learn defensive magic and improve my reflexes, then I can help you with your aim and learning some of the more difficult spells."

Harry nodded and stood up, if Percy was so desperate to learn to duel that he was coming to him for help he might as well see what he could do, there would be no harm in that, especially if Percy really would help him with the harder spells. "Well, that sounds great, then. I'll get Hermione to duplicate my notes on the spells I'm working on so you can have a look through it and see if you want to add anything else."

Percy stood up, and with another wave of his wand, transfigured his chair back into a stalagmite. "Thank you."Percy held out his hand for a rather bemused Harry to shake.

"Yeah, cool. We can start next weekend if that's okay with you. If we win this match, Wood will calm down a bit on the Quidditch front, so I'll have more time for defence practice."

Percy nodded. "Of course, and Harry, would you mind not telling my brothers that I came to you for help?"

Harry grinned, feeling much more like he was talking to the Percy he knew. "Yeah, sure, Percy, I won't tell any of them. Although, I imagine they'll know when we start duelling out by the lake."

"Yes, well, by then they will know my plans to become an Auror, and assume that I am merely taking every opportunity I can to practice duelling."

"Right," Harry nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Listen, I'll see you later, I've got some fireworks to collect from a sixth year."

"Fireworks?" Percy asked slowly. "You weren't the one responsible for what happened with those Slytherin prefects were you?"

Harry chuckled uneasily and tried to look as innocent as possible. "No, no, of course not. They're just for... a bit of fun."

Deciding that there was probably only so much rule breaking that Percy could take in one day, Harry chose to make a hasty getaway.

"Right, well, I'll get those notes to you as soon as possible." He said, crossing the cavern to the mirror and pushing it only slightly aside so that he could peek through the gap. Relieved to see that the coast was clear, Harry waved goodbye to Percy and slid through the gap, leaving it open for Percy to follow him out.

_OOOOO_

The next morning, Harry was awoken by the sound of a raging storm outside. Harry rolled over in bed and fumbled for his spectacles, which he slid on as he sat up. The rain was pounding so violently against the dormitory window that Harry couldn't even hear Neville snoring.

He pulled back the hangings around his bed and glanced at his alarm clock; it was six o'clock. Looking out of the window, Harry was thankful that he'd managed to persuade Percy to put both a tracking spell and a disillusionment charm on Cosmo so that he could walk himself. Unfortunately, however, he still had a Quidditch match in a few hours, and experience had taught him that flying in those weather conditions wouldn't be very easy at all.

Climbing out of bed, Harry glanced around the dormitory, noticing that the hangings around Seamus's bed were half-open, revealing that his friend wasn't in his bed. Harry sighed and hastily pulled on his scarlet Gryffindor Quidditch robes, shouldered his Nimbus Two Thousand and quietly picked his way across the dormitory to the door.

Still standing in the doorway, Harry spotted Seamus sitting with Cosmo in one of the squashy armchairs by the fire, listlessly reading 'Great Expectations'; a book Hermione had unsuccessfully tried to force Harry to read when he was ten.

Harry paused by the stairs watching as Seamus turned the pages of his book, which was resting on his knee, with one hand and absently stroking Cosmo with the other. After a moment's hesitation, Harry crossed the room, stood his broom up against the wall, and sat down in the chair next Seamus's.

"You haven't been up too long, have you?" Harry asked.

"Not really, about an hour– two at most." Seamus yawned and raised his eyes from his book, watching Harry wearily, as though he expected him to chastise him.

Harry pursed his lip and surveyed Seamus carefully, taking in his pale face, drooping eyelids, and the dark circles under his eyes. "Have you told your mum about the nightmares yet?" he asked eventually, still watching Seamus very carefully.

Seamus groaned and closed his book. "No, and I don't intend to tell her, either."

"What about Pomfrey? Don't you think it's highly irresponsible for her to be giving you dreamless sleep potion without letting your mother know?" Harry asked, annoyed, he couldn't believe that Seamus was still being so stubborn.

Rolling his eyes, Seamus ran his fingers through Cosmo's fur. As he watched, Harry couldn't help but think that his friend looked so very small sitting curled up in the armchair next to the massive, shaggy dog.

"You're beginning to sound more and more like Hermione you know? Why don't you start worrying about the Quidditch match, have you seen the weather?"

Harry wrinkled his nose and glanced up at the arching common room windows. "You should know by now that I like rain; it's not ideal weather but I love being outside, I love rain storms and I love flying, so really there's nothing to worry about._ You_, however, do need worrying about seeing as you won't tell your mother about what you're going through."

"I haven't told her because I don't need worrying about. Seriously, Harry, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to kill you and you're worrying about me?" Seamus rolled his eyes again and sat up straight in his chair, his expression softening. "I appreciate you worrying- I really do- but it's just not necessary, I'm fine."

"But you look half dead." Harry protested, "It's not healthy to get so little sleep."

Seamus gave Harry a small smile and shook his head in exasperation. "Come on, we should go down for breakfast, it's not healthy for _you_ to play Quidditch on an empty stomach."

Harry reached out and put a hand on Seamus's shoulder gazing at him intently. "Promise me you'll tell me if there's ever anything I can do to help you."

Seamus laughed humourlessly. "I don't think even the most powerful obliviator could make me forget what I saw in that book."

Harry squeezed Seamus's shoulder comfortingly and stood up. "Come on, then, let's go down to the Great Hall."

Pulling out his wand, Harry tapped Cosmo gently on the head and muttered the disillusionment charm Percy had taught him. As Cedric had in Harry's second year, Cosmo's fur began to slowly change colour before disappearing completely.

"Would you look after this?" Harry pulled a sheet of parchment from his robes and handed it to Seamus. "It's the tracking charm Percy did for me, you've just got to ask it where Cosmo is and the parchment will tell you, it works a bit like the marauder's map, I think."

Seamus looked down and asked the parchment. "Where's Cosmo?"

The parchment immediately came to life and a blob of scarlet ink appeared, twisting to form the words 'Gryffindor Tower' in Percy's perfect cursive handwriting.

"Merlin, that's pretty impressive, there has to be at least six charms on the paper alone."

"Yeah," Harry grinned as they made their way out through the portrait hole. "and there's another couple on Cosmo's collar; me, Hermione, Percy,_ and_ Cedric spent weeks researching all the spells for it."

"Weeks?" Seamus asked in surprise, holding the parchment up the light as though looking for a water mark.

Harry nodded. "It wasn't easy because they needed the charms to be innocuous enough to work through the school wards but also strong enough to work in an unplottable area and at a long range. But, the thing that made it most difficult was weaving the spells together, because if you do it wrong they will react unfavourably with one another."

"Well, it's brilliant." Seamus declared animatedly, as they entered the Great Hall. "I bet if you made a few alterations you could sell them, I bet the post office would by them for their owls."

Harry grimaced. "And I bet parents would buy them for their kids, I think it'd be wrong to let anyone else get their hands on it, it'd be hell trying to do anything sneaky. Merlin, imagine Severus with one, I'd not be able to sneak out after hours _or_ go down to Hogsmead."

Seamus shivered, sharing Harry's look of horror. "What about me mam, some things we've done are best left secret. Could you have imagined her last year, asking where I was and 'the Chamber of Secrets' coming up, it would've given her a heart attack."

Harry sat down at the empty Gryffindor table and frowned at Seamus. "Have you actually told your mum about the chamber?"

"Merlin, Harry, would you just leave it?"

Harry spooned porridge into his bowl so forcefully that it splashed back out across the table. "So she doesn't know then?" Harry asked sharply.

"I've told her a bit; she doesn't need to know about everything that happened." Seamus said, planting his elbows on the table and glaring at Harry.

"You nearly died! You had a basilisk's fang though your leg, as if that isn't enough." Harry said, his voice getting louder and louder.

Seamus glanced around the empty hall and ducked his head and hissed, "Keep your voice down."

"You're being ridiculous, there's no one else in here to listen in." Harry said, rolling his eyes and gesturing around the hall.

"No, I'm not; it's bad enough that you, Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Dean know about the nightmares, I certainly don't need anyone else knowing about it." Seamus said, glaring angrily down at his empty breakfast plate.

Harry cocked his head to the side as Seamus' words sank in. "So that's the problem then, is it? You're embarrassed?" Harry asked, adding a slice of toast to his plate and buttering it. "You shouldn't be, after what you saw I'm amazed that you even get an hour's sleep a night."

"So I've exceeded your expectations, why do you keep bothering me, then?" Seamus asked, putting his hand flat on the table and eying Harry with great annoyance.

"I've told you, it's not healthy to keep it bottled up. If you feel ill, you'd go to a healer, right? You're mentally unwell and you need to tell someone about it."

"You know about it already, Harry, you were there, I don't need to tell you about it."

"That's not at all what I meant. You _need_ to talk about what you saw in the diary." Harry said, taking a fierce bite of his toast.

"What, so that you can satisfy your morbid curiosity?" Seamus growled, causing Harry to choke on his mouthful of toast.

"You really are a complete arse you know?" Harry hissed keeping his voice low as several Ravenclaw fifth years entered the Great Hall. "I'm trying to help you, so that you don't have to keep having those nightmares. I know what it's like, Seamus, I had dreadful dreams after Quirrel nearly killed Hermione, and I nearly killed you, and the only way I got them to stop was by talking through them with Hermione."

Seamus looked torn between understanding, anger, and disapproval. "Yeah, well, it must be great having someone as close as Hermione to talk to; unfortunately, I don't have that sort of bond with anyone."

Harry flinched at the word 'bond' and sat rigid in his seat, staring at Seamus in horror, wondering how he could have possibly found out about the bond.

Several long seconds later, Harry felt himself relax as he realized that by 'bond' Seamus had meant relationship and not an actual bond.

"Well, I'm offering, right now, for you to talk to me." Harry said gently, putting a hand on Seamus's arm.

"Well, thank you for the offer, Harry, but it's really not necessary." Seamus moved his arm out of Harry's reach and frowned.

Harry nodded and through pursed lips said, "Well, if you're not going to even try and get sleep then you should at least have some breakfast." He eyed Seamus's empty plate and raised an eyebrow as the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the Great Hall.

Slowly, still staring at Harry, Seamus picked up a green apple from the bowl in the centre of the table and took a bite, mirroring Harry by raising his left eyebrow.

_OOOOO_

The storm was so fierce out on the Hogwarts grounds that the Gryffindor Quidditch team had to walk hunch-backed from the changing rooms to the pitch, so as not to be buffeted by the violent wind.

Once up in the air, the storm only seemed to get worse. Harry could feel worry pouring through the bond from Hermione who hated him flying in even the nicest weather conditions and could hardly stand watching him fighting the wind to simply stay upright on his broom. Ice-cold rain pelted him from all directions, saturating his robes within seconds, and left him so cold that he had to sporadically remove his hands from the handle of his broom to breathe hot air into his cupped palms.

Unable to see more than a meter in front of him, Harry flew blindly up and down the Quidditch pitch hoping to catch sight of the snitch.

Harry could hardly even believe that, without a Quidditch match, he would usually find a storm like this calming. It was dark, cold, and wet, and as he circled the pitch, Harry found himself praying to whoever might be listening that the match would just end so that he could just go back into the school and have a hot cup of tea in front of one of the many fires.

_With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; Harry could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud._

_"I called for time-out!" Wood roared at his team. "Come on, under here —"_

_They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella; Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes._

_"What's the score?"_

_"_We're both at ninety points, I think we'd be winning but the Slytherins are taking advantage of the weather, and Hooch's lack of visibility by playing dirty."

"Typical." Harry said through his chattering teeth as he held his broom between his legs and rubbed his hands together in a futile attempt to warm them up.

Through the bond, Harry felt Hermione approaching, he looked in the direction where he knew she was just in time to see her appear, holding her cloak over her head and beaming.

"Harry, give me your glasses, I've just had an idea." She said coming closer to stand under the umbrella.

Silently, Harry took of his glasses and handed them to her, trying to get a feel through the bond of what Hermione was thinking.

Pulling out her wand Hermione tapped Harry's glasses and said, "Impervius!"

"There!" she said, handing them back to Harry. "They'll repel water!"

"Thanks, you really are brilliant Hermione." Harry said, pressing a kiss against her wet forehead and taking his glasses back.

_Hermione's spell had done the trick. Harry was still numb with cold, still wetter than he'd ever been in his life, but he could see. Full of fresh determination, he urged his broom through the turbulent air, staring in every direction for the Snitch._

Harry wasn't sure how long he'd been up in the air for, but it felt like hours. He was begging to feel very tired and his fringe was driving him mad, every few minutes he would have to pause to brush it out of his eyes, lest his hair further impair his vision.

As he paused above the tallest Slytherin goal hoop, Harry brushed his sodden fringe from his eyes for what must have been the fiftieth time, as the entire Quidditch pitch was illuminated by a fork of lightening that split the sky.

A glimmer of gold caught his eye and Harry wheeled around, pressing himself to his broomstick and shooting in the direction of the snitch. Narrowly avoiding being hit by a passing bludger, Harry urged his broom on, conscious of Malfoy who was following close on his tail.

The snitch took a sudden left turn and Harry followed, inching his way closer to the small gold ball. A silence, in what Harry assumed to be anticipation, fell across the stadium, and Harry, not taking his eyes of the snitch, sensed Malfoy slow down behind him.

Roaring at his broom to go faster, Harry closed in on the snitch, nearer and nearer. As Harry reached out, his outstretched hand closing around the small wriggling ball, he felt a sudden dropping sensation in his stomach.

Swivelling around, Harry rammed the tiny ball deep into the pocket of his robes and zoomed towards the stands, a loud voice in his head roaring at him to 'get to Hermione'.

Terrified, Harry reached out to Hermione through the bond and felt nothing. Panic surging up inside him, Harry pressed himself so hard against his broomstick that he was certain his chest would bruise. As he neared the stands, Harry caught sight of the Dementors flooding out onto the pitch.

Remembering what had happened to Ginny and Seamus on the train, Harry felt his need to get to Hermione increase tenfold.

Bringing his left knee up to his chest Harry planted his foot firmly just above the tail on his broom. Keeping a tight hold on the handle, Harry aimed the broom towards the stands and brought his right leg up.

Painfully aware that he was attempting to balance on a strip of wood, which was thinner than his arm and suspended fifty feet above the ground, Harry pushed himself up and tensed his leg muscles as he used his feet to angle to broom closer to the Gryffindor Quidditch stands. Holding his arms out to steady himself, Harry took a deep breath and, not looking down, dived from his broomstick into the crowd of Gryffindors.

The stands were in pandemonium; there was a sickening crunch and Harry received an elbow in the face as he landed on a sixth year, who was quite obviously reacting badly to the presence of the Dementors. A tiny first year, who was shaking with fear, almost tumbled over the edge of the stand only to be saved last minute by another terrified looking first year. Some students were curled up in their seats, sobbing into their rain sodden robes, whilst others seemed to be panicking, standing on their seats trying to gaze through the heavy rainfall, flinching every time there was clap of thunder or a bolt of lightning.

Pushing aside his fellow Gryffindors, Harry fought his way up to Hermione, slipping as he tried to both hold onto his bleeding nose and scramble over soaking wet chairs and people alike in his desperation to get to her.

Terror coursed through him as he imagined all of the different scenarios that would have caused Hermione's side of the bond to go quiet.

As Harry neared Hermione a chill swept over him, more intense than anything he'd felt out on the field, Harry felt as though he was drowning in a vat of icy water, choking as it engulfed him, burning down his throat, filling his lungs and freezing his insides. The tumultuous noise of the stands seemed to have dimmed as though he was listening to it from through a veil.

The world spun and terrible, pleading screams filled Harry's ears. The screams were getting louder and louder. As the screams increased to a pitch Harry could barely stand, Harry recognized them as that of a woman's...

_"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"_

_"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…"_

_"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead —"_

The voices were so familiar and yet Harry couldn't remember when he'd heard them.

A white swirling mist began to engulf Harry's mind and he found himself not wanting to fight back.

The mist was suddenly cut by a more familiar female scream. The world tilted left and right and Harry had to hold onto one of the seats so as not to fall over.

Hermione's voice filled Harry's mind and the image of Hermione lying out on a chamber floor, bleeding profusely from lacerations winding around her body as she hissed out, _"Stop Quirrell."_

That memory, that horrible, haunting memory snapped Harry out of his dementor induced hysteria as he remembered why he had entered the stands in the first place.

The fog cleared and the world suddenly sped up, suddenly he could hear the roar of the wind, which didn't quite cover up the sounds of a thousand screaming students. He caught sight of his friends, several seats in front of him. Neville was holding up Hermione who seemed to have collapsed, and Dean was holding up Seamus who looked to be on the verge of collapse.

Clambering over the remaining few seats, Harry reached Hermione and looked up at Neville who was staring at him in undisguised amazement. "What happened to her?" Harry shouted over the roar of the wind.

Neville's eyes widened. "H-Harry, are you alright?"

"What?" Harry asked wondering why Neville was asking about his state of health when Hermione had passed out in his arms. "How's Hermione?"

"Sh-she feinted when the dementors came onto the pitch." Neville's face was pale and when Harry looked closely he saw that Neville looked as though he felt just as tired and feeble as Harry.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, reaching out and brushing aside her wet fringe.

As soon as Harry's hand made contact with Hermione's hand, Harry felt a sudden, sharp jolt in his chest as it began to burn. The heat in Harry's chest began to steadily increase. The welcome burning chased away the coldness from the Quidditch match, and the soul-consuming chill of the dementors as Harry felt calm come over him.

The heat, however quickly became more and more intense. Unlike the dementor chill, which had seemed to wholly consume him, this heat was quite the opposite, it certainly burnt and alone wasn't at all a nice sensation, however, at the same time it seemed to encompass everything he knew to be good.

The heat spread down Harry right arm and before he'd even registered what had happened, Harry had pulled his wand from his robes and pointed it down at the field. The heat spread down through Harry's arm, into and out through his wand.

Something bright, so bright that Harry could hardly stand to look at, burst from the end of his wand, illuminating the entire stadium.

The last thing Harry saw before he slid into the welcome arms of unconsciousness were the dementors retreating from the Quidditch pitch and the bright light slowly receding.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Harry awoke on a stretcher, being carried across the Quidditch pitch towards the school. Sitting up groggily, Harry rolled off the stretcher and clambered to his feet, looking around. Somehow, despite the spinning world, Harry managed to focus on Hermione, who looked to be back in good health, and was staring at Harry with a mixture of worry and surprise.

"Harry, what on earth do you think you're doing?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips, in a way reminiscent of Madam Pomfrey, and frowning down at him.

"I'm fine." Harry mumbled, holding out his hand as the world began to slowly right itself.

Hermione took hold of Harry's wrist as Severus, Remus, Charity, and Madam Pomfrey blurred into focus.

"Mr. Potter, I suggest that you get yourself back onto that stretcher this instant." Madam Pomfrey commanded with her hands on her hips, just like Hermione.

"Nah- nah I'm fine, just a little bit fuzzy." Harry stood up straight and blinked twice holding his fingers up an inch apart to indicate how fuzzy he felt.

"Get back onto the stretcher, now, Potter!" Madam Pomfrey ordered again, a hard edge to her voice.

"No, honestly, I'm all right." Harry protested. "I've got a party to get to."

Remus's eyebrows rose in incredulity. "He's delirious; perhaps we should just carry him to the hospital wing."

Wriggling his nose, Harry frowned, he'd thought earlier that being elbowed in the face had broken his nose, but now he felt fine, better than fine in fact. He was no longer cold and he didn't ache anywhere.

"What's he doing?" Charity asked in concern as she watched Harry flexing his fingers and making his face twitch.

"What? Oh, I'm fine- brilliant. I don't need that." Harry pointed at the still levitating stretcher. "Where's the team? I should go find them so we can go to the party together?"

"Harry, the team is still playing, the game hasn't ended yet." Hermione said, her voice heavy with concern.

Harry looked up at the still stormy sky and managed to just make out several dark shapes soaring high above him.

"But it's over, I caught the snitch." Harry said feeling the corners of his lips turn up at the thought of Malfoy flying around in the rain looking for the snitch in Harry's pocket.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Severus asked, leaning in closer to Harry.

"The snitch, I caught it." Harry plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out the tiny, walnut sized ball. "See." Harry held out the snitch for the four adults and Hermione to inspect.

_OOOOO_

After a long debate about the final score of the match – Gryffindor won 220-40 –Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were finally allowed to return to the common room to celebrate their victory over Slytherin.

Much to Hermione's disapproval, when Severus and Remus had tried to talk to Harry about what he'd done when the dementors had come out onto the pitch, Harry had feigned deafness whilst slowly backing away in the direction of the Gryffindor changing rooms.

Once far enough away from Moony and his uncle, Harry began jogging, trying to get to the showers as quickly as possible.

Pausing for a second to take in his reflection in the changing room mirror, Harry marvelled at how energized he looked, despite his bedraggled, drowned rat-esque appearance and the blood running from his nose and down the front of his robes. His eyes were bright, almost sparkling, and his face flushed with colour.

Shedding his clothes, Harry made his way to the shower, quickly rinsing his body and rubbing shampoo into his hair before drying off and changing into his spare robes. Assuming that someone must have collected his broom for him, Harry cast Hermione's '_Impervius_' charm on himself and headed back out into the storm, running all the way back up to the castle.

There was a euphoric roar as Harry entered the common room and an army of Gryffindors surged forwards to greet him.

A bottle of butterbeer was pressed into Harry's hand as people swarmed around him, recounting excitedly how he'd managed to secretly catch the snitch, fly his broom standing up, _and_ banish all of the dementors from the pitch.

Regretting his decision to run away from Severus on the Quidditch pitch, Harry watched his friends enviously as they sat by the fire chatting whilst he was stuck in the middle of a crowd of Gryffindors thinking of excuses to not give Colin Creevey his autograph.

It seemed ridiculous, really, how people could make easy things like beating Draco Malfoy to the snitch into amazingly heroic feats of daring. Fed up with trying to explain that he didn't have a clue how he'd banished the dementors, and that flying in the rain wasn't really as difficult as it looked, Harry was thankful when a red-faced Wood appeared through the portrait hole with his hair and robes rumpled.

Fred and George Weasley immediately rushed forwards, pulling Wood aside to quiz him about his 'mystery woman', thankfully the stir caused by this allowed Harry to slip away from the main party and into the corner where his friends were sitting.

"Merlin, that was enough to put me off ever winning another Quidditch match." Harry said, slumping down on the floor beside Hermione's armchair.

"Awww, don't you like all the attention, Harry?" Hermione cooed, leaning down and ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry shrugged away from Hermione and looked up at her, narrowing his eyes. "It was bloody awful, all those people saying how marvellous the things I did were, I can't understand why Lockhart likes fame so much."

"He likes it because he is an arrogant git." Ron said matter-of-factly, looking up from the game of chess he was playing with Dean. "I suppose it says something good about you, seeing as you don't like it all that much."

"Well, it's not as if I did anything special, it's not like I meant to get rid of those dementors." Harry said, watching in mild interest as Ron's queen pushed one of Dean's bishops over.

"It _was_ pretty impressive, mate." Dean said, groaning as one of Ron's pawns made it to the opposite side of the board and transfigured itself into a queen.

"Yeah, well, I'm not entirely sure what _it_ was, everything was all bright and then I passed out." Harry sighed, planting his elbows on his thighs and resting his head in his hands.

"It was so bright that it hurt my eyes to look at it but from what I saw it seemed kind of like an animal." Neville said.

Harry blinked, shocked, how could he have possibly made an animal made entirely of light come from his wand? But, like Neville had said, the light had been bright and may have simply cast unusual shaped shadows that had tricked Neville's eyes. However, just as Harry was about to dismiss what Neville saw as a trick of the light, Seamus spoke up.

"Yeah, I thought I saw an animal too. It was pretty big, like a horse or something."

"Only it had antlers, right?" Neville asked, looking up at Seamus in interest.

Seamus's eyes widened and his nodded his head rapidly. "Yeah, thinking back on it, it _did_ have antlers. What was it? Some kind of deer?"

Harry frowned; of all animals, deer held a particular significance for Harry, but he wasn't sure why. Through the bond, Harry felt a flash of recognition from Hermione.

Looking up over his shoulder at her, Harry frowned slightly. "Why do I feel that 'some kind of deer' relates to me?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione's eyebrows crinkled together and a pained expression crossed her face. "It certainly rings a bell, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps we could ask Remus or Severus tomorrow."

Harry sighed. "I suppose so; I'm not much looking forward to seeing either of them, though."

"Aha, checkmate!" Ron roared punching his fist in the air and whooping in delight. Blushing when he realized that everyone in the common room was staring at him, Ron lowered his hand and said in a much quieter voice, "Well played, Dean."

Harry snorted and looked around, suddenly realizing that his broom was still missing. "Have any of you got my broom?"

"Why would any of us have your broom?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, I haven't seen it since the match... oh, Merlin." Harry groaned, as he remembered exactly where he had last seen his broom, and cradled his face in his hands. "The match! It probably just kept on flying."

"After you jumped?" Dean asked.

Harry nodded wincing. "Yeah, I bet that as soon as I jumped off the wind just... took it."

"Well, if it's any consolation, mate, that was an amazing bit of flying – I doubt that even Victor Krum could've pulled it off." Ron said, placing his chess pieces neatly back into their box.

Harry looked up at his friend and grinned, though Ron wasn't particularly good at sympathy, but he was very kind hearted and at least he tried to cheer people up. "Thanks, mate."

_OOOOO_

Severus paced in front of Harry, looking almost vulture-like with his hands clasped tightly behind his back and black robes billowing out.

Harry rested his head in his hands, feeling almost like a five-year-old as he sat in the centre of Severus's office with Remus and Charity standing in the shadows, not speaking, as Severus lectured him on how irresponsible and childish it was running away after the Quidditch match.

Severus had called Harry into his office at nine o'clock that morning, and after a gruelling hour and a half of being reprimanded by his uncle, Harry felt that, from experience, Severus still had at least another few hour's worth of pacing and scolding left in him.

As Severus's usually pale face began to turn red, almost matching the magnificent shade of puce Uncle Vernon could only manage in full road rage, Harry looked down at his trainers, not even bothering to argue back. Severus's voice increased in volume and behind him, Harry heard either Charity or Remus shift uncomfortably.

Having heard lectures of a similar ilk on countless other occasions, Harry found himself thinking about Hermione and before he knew it he had slipped into her mind, just as he had when she'd faced her boggart.

He found her sitting in the library arguing with Seamus, she used several unusual words which he wasn't familiar with such as 'psychological trauma' and 'posttraumatic stress disorder', but he did understand that, like him, she was trying to get Seamus to talk to her about what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets.

"Look, Hermione, I don't need to speak about anything, I don't have post-whatsits disorder and I'm not weak." He said, keeping his voice quiet.

Harry couldn't see Hermione's face but assumed that she probably looked affronted. "I never once called you weak, Seamus." Hermione hissed across the tiny table they were sitting at.

"Why in Merlin's name can't any of you bloody leave me alone? I don't need anyone's help." He stood up, slammed the book he was reading closed and rammed it back onto the closest bookshelf before marching away from Hermione and out of the library.

Angry, Harry wanted to stand up and go after Seamus to give him a good punch for being so rude to Hermione; unfortunately, however, he was sitting in the dungeons with his furious uncle and she was in the library with Luna Lovegood who had just slid into Seamus's vacated seat.

"I don't think Seamus meant to be rude to you, Hermione; I suppose he is often rude to most people, but he likes you. He seems upset, I think he has Wrackspurts." Luna said, reaching out and patting Hermione on the back of the hand.

"Uh, thanks, Luna." Hermione said slowly.

Luna beamed. "You really do have a very interesting group of friends; did you know that Dean Thomas, or rather Gerald Boardman, is the son of the famous musician Stubby Boardman?"

"That's... interesting, Luna." Hermione said politely.

"Yes, well, I did tell you that your friends are interesting, especially Harry Potter."

"Yes, I suppose Harry is interesting." Hermione said, nodding.

"His Patronus at the Quidditch match was rather good, wasn't it?"

"Patronus?" Hermione asked, sounding almost embarrassed about having to ask a second year, even Luna Lovegood, the definition of a word. "Is that some kind of Quidditch manoeuvre?"

"No, the stag he conjured. It's a good sign, really, that his Patronus is a stag. Did you know that in Greek mythology the goddess Artemis's chariot was drawn by a stag, and, of course, there's Father Christmas and his sleigh drawn by reindeer, which-"

"Harry, are you listening to me?" Severus asked sharply.

Harry slipped back into his own mind with a disorientating snap. Feeling dizzy and slightly travel sick from his mental journey, Harry blinked twice as the world slowly righted itself. It was strange how out of sorts shifting between his and Hermione's mind made him feel.

"What?" Harry looked up at his uncle's faintly blurry face and grimaced. "Oh, right, yeah, I'm listening."

Severus's nostrils flared, reminding Harry of an angry dragon and he said, "Then I suppose you can repeat my last sentence?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to get over the strange feeling that accompanied his shifting between minds.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked, crouching down to Harry's height and studying him with a mixture of irritation and concern on his face.

"Yeah, I think so, I just slipped into Hermione's mind for a few minutes, but I'm back now." Harry rubbed his eyes again and pushed his glasses back onto his face.

"You 'just slipped' into Hermione's mind?" Severus repeated in incredulity.

"Yeah, but I'm good now." Harry said reassuringly, mistaking his uncle's astonishment for worry.

"You just fell into her mind?" Remus asked, walking around the side of Harry's chair and crouching down next to Severus.

"It's happened before, in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry shrugged and added, "it's easier now, though."

"You didn't tell me that the bond had progressed so far." Severus said almost accusingly.

"But you knew; Hermione was in here the first time it ever happened." Harry pointed out.

Severus exhaled loudly and summoned three chairs for himself, Charity and Remus. "Yes, Harry," Severus said impatiently as he, Remus, and Charity took their seats. "But you didn't tell me that it had happened to you."

Remus frowned and turned to Severus. "I suppose it's understandable, Severus, after the Patronus Harry cast at the Quidditch match we should have realized how developed the bond is. After all, the body is simply a vessel for the soul, so it's completely feasible that Harry is now able to flit between his and Hermione's bodies."

"Yeah, but I don't actually take over Hermione's body or anything, I still control _my _body when I go into Hermione's mind." Harry explained slowly, feeling somewhat more clever than usual at knowing something that the adults didn't. "After all, the soul has ties to the 'vessel' that can only be broken by death or a Dementor's Kiss."

Remus beamed at him proudly. "You've been doing you're research, ten points to Gryffindor."

Harry nodded and shot Severus a look of intense irritation. "Well, I had to since _someone_ wouldn't let me do anything during the holidays."

Severus looked to be on the verge of rolling his eyes, but instead gritted his teeth and quickly changed the subject. "Tell me, Harry, how much did you practice the Patronus charm before casting it yesterday?"

"The Patronus charm?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he tried to remember what Luna had said a Patronus was. "Oh, that stag thing... yeah I don't know how to do that."

"You don't know how to do it?" Severus repeated in disbelief.

Harry wrinkled his nose and nodded his head. "I suppose not, no. Something went funny with the bond, I think it had something do with the distance between me and Hermione and the number of dementors, and when I touched her there was this warmth in my hand and it went down my arm and then the stag just appeared out of my wand."

"And you didn't know about the Patronus charm beforehand?" Remus murmured looking rather impressed. "Do you remember anything else about casting the spell, a feeling or emotion perhaps?"

Harry frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Happiness, I think." He muttered, trying to remember exactly what had happened. Holding his hand out to the side, as though miming holding Hermione's hand, Harry flicked his wrist in the opposite direction and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to focus how he'd cast the charm. "Yeah, happiness." Harry repeated, opening his eyes and looking back up at Remus, who seemed to be watching him in admiration. Shifting uncomfortably under his father's friend's gaze, Harry looked down at his feet, disliking how people always seemed to look at him as though he'd done something worthy of admiration.

"It seemed to work," Harry added, once again looking up at Remus, his eyes lighting up as a sudden, and in Harry's opinion, rather brilliant idea struck him. "Do you think you'd be able to teach me to do it properly? At least then I can actually keep Hermione safe; I have a theory about temporarily closing the bond, which would protect both of us in case of further dementor attacks- well not protect, just make us no more susceptible than other people."

Remus scratched his chin and nodded. "I'm willing to teach you, that is, of course, if your uncle is happy for me to do so."

Harry and Remus turned to Severus who was holding tightly onto Charity's hand. "I see no reason for you to not; in fact, I would prefer it if you did learn from Remus, lest you try to learn another way and end up getting yourself kissed by a dementor."

"Brilliant." Harry grinned, sitting up straight in his chair. "When do we start, then?"

"You have Friday afternoons off, don't you?" Remus paused for a second as Harry nodded vigorously. "Then we will begin on Friday afternoon at two, in my office."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, Moony, you're the best! I can't wait."

"It's a very difficult spell to master." Remus warned, smiling widely and ruffling Harry's hair. "But I think you'll manage it, I've seen you practicing with Percy Weasley, very impressive." Still smiling, Remus shifted slightly to the left so that Severus wouldn't be able to see his face. He widened his eyes slightly and flicked them from his watch, to the office door and back to Harry.

"How often do you _meet_ with him to practice?" Remus asked, still glancing from his watch, to the door and back to Harry.

Harry frowned trying to work out what Remus was trying to tell him, wishing he could read Remus's mind like he could with Hermione.

Remus glanced at the door so forcefully that his eyes bulged slightly manically.

Realizing that Remus was telling him to leave so that he wouldn't have to endure the rest of Severus's lecture Harry grinned, silently thanking his father for making friends with someone as understanding of rule breaking as Remus.

Wishing he could show Remus how much it meant to him to have an adult willing to try and get him out of trouble, Harry made a show of looking up at the clock above Severus's desk and gasping loudly, hoping desperately that he had at least inherited enough marauder genes to successfully trick his uncle.

Slapping his hand against his forehead Harry groaned and stood up. "Damn, I'm late. Sorry, Sev, Moony, Charity, I've gotta go, I promised Percy I'd meet with him to practice defence. Percy hates lateness almost as much as you do, Sev. I'll see you later."

Harry hugged Charity goodbye and ran to the door, mouthing a silent thanks in Remus's direction as he passed.

Deciding that he'd probably feel guilty for the rest of the day if he didn't, Harry decided to go out onto the grounds to practice his defensive magic so that he wouldn't have _truly_ lied to Severus.

_OOOOO_

Someone tapped Harry lightly on the shoulder and he whirled around, training his wand on his new target.

"Whoa!" Percy took a step back, holding his hands up to show Harry that he wasn't holding his wand.

"Merlin, Perce, don't sneak up on me like that, I could've hexed you." Harry lowered his wand and sat down on the grass against a tree, wiping sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his robe.

Percy smiled sheepishly and lowered himself down onto the ground. "Ah, yes, I should have known better. I forgot that you get... edgy when you practice for too long."

Harry rolled his eyes and snorted. "Too long, don't be ridiculous, I've been out what two, maybe three hours?"

Percy shot Harry a look of incredulity and glanced down at his watch. "Well, Professor Lupin told me that you left Professor Snape's office at ten o'clock, so I'd say you have been out here for at least six hours."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry said leaning over so that he could peer at Percy's watch. "_Six hours?_"

"Well, everyone in the school knows how determined you can be." Percy said, watching Harry in amusement. "So, are you going to show me what progress you've made?"

Harry stood up and stretched, only now realizing how physically and mentally drained he felt. "I should've known better than to have the head boy as my duelling partner, I bet you've got an end of year exam all planned out." Harry teased, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to work some of the stiffness out of his muscles.

Percy stood up, shaking his head in amusement. "I can hardly test you when we're learning from one another."

Sniffing, Harry twirled his wand between his fingers and turned towards a dead looking tree that had been hit by lightening the previous year. "_Confringo_!"

A tree stump two metres to the left of where Harry had pointed his wand exploded into a massive ball of flames. Harry groaned, tilting his head back in irritation as he surveyed the damage he had caused.

"Merlin, that was impressive." Percy said, crossing over to the remains of the stump and stamping on a still smouldering chunk of wood. "And you mastered that today?"

Harry pursed his lips and nodded, still looking at the damage he had caused. "Yeah, but it'd be impressive if I could actually hit the target that I aimed at. The bloody thing wasn't even moving and I still missed by miles."

Percy sighed and pulled his wand out of his pocket. "You're asking too much of yourself, you just mastered that blasting curse in six hours, _six hours, _look." Percy pointed his wand at Harry's target and said. "_Confringo_!"

A streak of orange light burst from the end of Percy's wand, hitting the target but having no affect on the tree whatsoever. "See, nothing, not even a flame."

"Well, I didn't manage it first time either, same with stunning spell." Harry said, crossing his arms sullenly and sinking back down onto the ground. "At least you actually hit the target."

Percy rubbed his chin as he stifled a chuckle. "Merlin, Harry, you do have high expectations of yourself!"

"Don't laugh at me." Harry grumbled. "I'll manage it, just you wait and see."

Percy sighed. "I don't doubt that you will, Harry. I wasn't laughing at you I-"

"Yeah, but you were, weren't you?" Harry interrupted grumpily, eying his target in distaste.

"Let me finish, Harry." Percy said raising his hand. "I wasn't laughing at you; I was laughing more in disbelief, I suppose. You're disappointed by what you have learnt, yes?"

Harry considered Percy for a moment. "Yes, I've been practicing for months and my aim is still no better." He said trying to keep his tone civil.

"And yet you can now cast a shield charm, several different blasting curses, a severing charm, a disillusionment charm, a healing charm, and the stunning spell." Percy counted them off on his fingers, smiling at Harry in amusement as he did so. "How many other thirteen-year-olds have you heard of that can cast even half of those? Actually, I can't even cast all of those and I'm learning NEWT level Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Harry shrugged reluctantly, still annoyed at himself for being so dreadful at hitting a target. "You make it sound harder than it actually was." Harry protested.

"Of course," Percy said dryly, "all those months of training, spending hours out in the cold and rain trying to master those spells, easy. I don't suppose Cosmo would agree with me though, seeing as he's taken to following me around everywhere I go, I imagine even your poor dog has realized how much time we've spent out here training."

"Yeah, but my aim is still terrible. There's no use in being able to cast half of those when I can't even hit a stationary target." Harry said miserably.

"You're impossible when you are in this mood." Percy said, flinging his hands up in resignation. "You're tired, hungry, and it's getting freezing out here."

Harry stood up, stowing his wand back in his pocket and smiled grudgingly at Percy as they set off back towards the school. "You really are a great person to practice with. Anyway, I've been thinking about you wanting to get more into shape and I've had an idea, how about you join the Quidditch team. I don't mean to play or anything, just practice, fly around and take part in some of the training exercises." Harry added hastily at the almost horrified look on Percy's face. "Now you've told your brothers and Ginny that you're going to be an Auror, Fred and George won't tease you and you're good friends with Wood aren't you?"

Percy wrinkled his nose. "And what makes you think that I'm good enough to even take part in your Quidditch training?"

"Well, for starters, all you Weasleys are born to fly." Percy snorted and Harry continued with a small grin. "_And_ in case you've forgotten, we did play three aside Quidditch when I stayed at your house over the holidays, you're definitely as good as Ron."

Percy nodded. "I'll speak to Oliver about it this evening." Smiling slightly he grinned down at Harry and added. "So, when were you planning on telling me about your magnificent Patronus?"

Contemplating what to actually tell, Harry looked up at Percy who was smiling at him expectantly. "Uh, well..." Harry began hesitantly. "I didn't actually know what a Patronus was before the match; it seems that what I did was just a reaction to the threat of the dementors, sort of instinctual magic if you will."

Percy shook his head in admiration. "You really do have high expectations of yourself, don't you? The Patronus charm isn't even taught at school and very few wizards could have driven away so many dementors singlehandedly."

Harry felt his cheeks grow warm and he looked down at his feet. He could hardly tell Percy that the reason his Patronus was so strong was because it was a reflection of not one but two souls. "It was probably just a fluke." Harry chuckled uneasily. "Remus, uh- Professor Lupin has offered to teach me how to do it properly."

Rubbing his chin Percy grimaced slightly and said slowly. "When you learn, you wouldn't mind teaching me would you?"

"Why don't you just come with me to the lessons?" Harry offered.

"No, I couldn't possibly." Percy shook his head and patted Harry on the shoulder. "It was nice of you to offer, Harry, but Professor Lupin is the only connection you have to your father and I think it would be best if you were able to spend more time with him. Hermione mentioned that you have Professor Snape to tell you about your mother, but that he and your father weren't on the best of terms."

Harry raised his eyebrows smiling in amusement. "That's a bit of an understatement. Saying my dad and Sev weren't on the best of terms is like saying that Voldemort isn't all that keen on me."

Flinching when Harry said 'Voldemort' Percy sighed. "I find it rather worrying how undaunted you are by the number of dark wizards that want to kill you."

"Seamus says the exact same thing all the time." Harry said, rolling his eyes as he and Percy climbed the steps up to the entrance hall. "But the way I see it is that they're going to want to kill me whether I worry or not, so..." Harry trailed off as he caught sight of Cedric and Oliver Wood looking rather nervous and making their way across the entrance hall to him.

"Harry, how are you?" Cedric said in a falsely cheerful tone as he approached him.

"Not bad," Harry glanced up at Wood and grinned. "We did win after all."

"Yeah, about that..." Cedric wrung his hands together and pulled his bag off of his shoulder.

Harry glanced between Cedric and Wood who both looked rather anxious.

"What is it?" Harry asked slowly, not liking how Cedric was gingerly unzipping his bag whilst shooting nervous glances at him and Wood. "Has something happened?"

Cedric grimaced and turned pleadingly to Wood. "Tell him, you're his captain."

Wood lifted his hands and took a step back, shaking his head. "You found it, anyway..." Wood paused for a second before hastily saying, "I need a word with Perce here about our transfiguration homework."

Harry narrowed his eyes and once again looked between Cedric and Wood. "What've you got to tell me?"

A pained expression crossed Cedric's face as he reached into his bag and pulled out a bundle of sticks wrapped in a Hufflepuff scarf. "Look, there's no easy way to do this so here, just take it." Cedric thrust the bundle into Harry's hands.

Harry looked down at the twigs in his hand and then back up at Cedric who was watching him almost fearfully. "Why are you giving me these?"

"I found it out by the Whomping Willow. I had to get Oliver to verify it, but it is yours. I really am sorry."

Harry wasn't sure why but he found Cedric's tone of voice almost frightening. He glanced across the hall to where Wood had dragged Percy and back down at the bundle of twigs in his hand. "Cedric..."

Harry looked back down at the twigs, catching sight of something reflecting the flickering light of the lanterns on the walls of the hall.

It took Harry several seconds to process what he was seeing, his heart seemed to miss a beat and then it began again, beating twice as fast as before. Shifting the scarf down to reveal what had reflected the light, Harry read the engraved golden letters without taking in what they actually meant.

As what he'd read finally began to sink in, Harry felt his hand begin to tremble and his stomach lurched violently. "No, this isn't my Nimbus, it can't be." Harry thrust the bundle back at Cedric.

"Harry, I'm sorry; I went straight to Oliver as soon as I found it just in case it wasn't yours, but as far as I know you're the only one in the school who flew a two-thousand." Cedric said sympathetically, not taking the bundle back.

"But how did it get smashed like this?" Harry asked, staring numbly down at the broom that Harry knew his uncle had saved up to buy him.

"It hit the Whomping Willow, mate, everyone knows that that tree hits back."

Harry ran a finger along the fine gold lettering on what used to be the handle of his broomstick and sighed. "So now I'm just left with an expensive sweeping brush, _excellent_. And even better I'll probably end up flying an ancient Comet One-Forty; what's their maximum speed again- fifty three miles per hour?"

"Fifty two." Cedric corrected almost instantaneously with a blush. "Sorry, that's not helping at all."

"This went twice that speed," Harry noted dryly holding up the pieces of his broken broomstick. "And the new Firebolt can triple that speed."

Cedric sighed and wrung his hands together again. "Look, you can borrow my Cleensweep Ten for practices, if you want, until you can get a new one. We don't want Chang beating you to the snitch in the next match."

Harry smiled sadly and ran the fingers of his hand that wasn't holding his broom through his hair. "Thanks for bringing the pieces back to me, Cedric."

"No trouble, you'd have done the same for me." Cedric shrugged. "Don't forget my offer, Harry; you'll be able to get my broom from the Hufflepuff changing rooms." Cedric patted him roughly on the shoulder and sighed. "I really am sorry about your broom, Harry, but I'm sure you'll manage I doubt even Viktor Krum could have done what you did yesterday."

Harry smiled; sometimes he forgot just how great his friends were. "Do you want your scarf back?" Harry unrolled the bundle and tipped the twigs onto the floor.

"No, no it's fine." Cedric shook his head, watching sympathetically as Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the broom pieces. "Harry, you do know that there's no fixing it?" He asked tentatively, bending down to watch Harry.

Sighing Harry nodded. "Yeah, but there isn't much point in carrying it around in all these little pieces. _Reparo_."

The broomstick pieces sprang back together, several deep fissures still visible winding across the shiny mahogany handle. "Well, that's as good as it's ever going to be." Harry said in a falsely cheerful voice as he handed back the Hufflepuff scarf. "Look, thanks, Cedric, I really appreciate you bringing it to me, but I've gotta go for dinner, I haven't eaten since about eight this morning."

Stuffing the scarf into Cedric's hand, Harry tucked his broken broomstick under his arm and hurried into the Great Hall, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the entrance hall.

Harry didn't understand why, but for some reason, he'd been perfectly fine up until he'd seen the cracks in his repaired Nimbus and realized that, whilst now in one piece, his broomstick really was gone forever. Once he'd seen the damage, however, Harry had felt a lump rise in his throat as his eyes began to sting. It felt almost as though he'd lost a dear old friend, the broomstick that had helped him win every single Quidditch match he had ridden it for.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Percy, it turned out, was better at Quidditch than Harry had expected. When Harry had told the older boy that he was as good as Ron at flying, not only had he stretched the truth somewhat, but he'd only ever seen the two boys fly at what was probably the worst possible time. Percy had still being grieving for his recently deceased girlfriend, and Ron had still been trying to shake off the after effects of spending over a month petrified.

Even Fred and George were welcoming when Harry and Percy turned up to Quidditch practice, going as far as to offer to teach their older brother their secrets to being good Beaters.

Despite the fact that Harry was used to flying a Nimbus Two-Thousand, Cedric's Cleansweep proved to be a perfectly fine broom. He couldn't go quite as fast on it as he would usually, but he still managed to easily outstrip the rest of the team, perform a near perfect Wronski Feint, _and_ beat Fred in the final of a broom-borne jousting tournament that he, Percy, Fred, and George stayed after practice to play.

However, as soon as practice was over, Harry felt suddenly very tired as all of his worries of the past few days hit him like a tonne of bricks. Even with the time-turner there just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day for him to do what he needed to. Even Hermione was struggling and that was without Quidditch practice four nights a week, defence training with Percy, and the Patronus lessons Remus had offered him.

It was only thanks to Percy that he didn't have to walk Cosmo twice a day, and that, alongside Quidditch, was really the only thing he enjoyed doing at the moment anyway.

As he made his way back up to the Gryffindor common room, Harry wondered if Hermione would let him use the time turner the next morning to catch a few hours extra sleep. He'd been staying up half the night in an attempt to get his homework done on time, which, much to his teacher's annoyance, resulted in him falling asleep during lessons.

For some unexplainable reason, everything just seemed to be all the more difficult, he just felt like curling up in front of the fire in the common room and catching up on all the sleep he'd missed in the past few weeks. It was hard to believe how draining spending a few hours out on the grounds trading hexes and jinxes with Percy could be, and Harry wondered if, with all the training and Quidditch, Percy really was going to get the twelve Os in his N.E. as he had planned.

When the immensity of his workload had first caught up with him, Harry had gone to Percy and asked how he had managed to take so many subjects in third year. Percy had, rather unhelpfully, told Harry that, whilst during his third year he had not had a mass murdering psychopath out for his blood, he was sure that if Harry put enough effort into his work he would do just fine.

Harry chuckled dryly to himself as he thought back over Percy's words, if only he knew the half of it. Sure, there was the Sirius Black problem, but Harry was more worried about his bond, and the fact that last time he'd had a run in with dementors he was fairly certain that he'd heard his mother's dying screams.

Then, there was his questionable status as a Gryffindor, he'd not voiced his fears to anyone, not even Hermione, but still they were there. Each time he'd tried to reassure himself that he had done brave, Gryffindor worthy things, a contradictory voice would speak up in his mind, offering its own opinions on what he'd done '_yes you did go down into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ginny but it wasn't your idea was it? You just followed behind like a Hufflepuff _' and '_can your friend really trust you? After all they had to work out about Severus themselves and you haven't told them about the bond either... How very Slytherin_' it seemed that the only thing on which both Harry and the intrusive little voice inside his head could agree on was that he was most definitely not suited to Ravenclaw.

Finally arriving at the common room, Harry headed straight up to his empty dormitory, and having just realized that he had forgotten to drop it off in the Hufflepuff changing rooms, set Cedric's broom down on his bed. He changed from his sweaty Quidditch robes into a thick jumper his Aunt Helen had bought for him the previous Christmas and a pair of old jeans before sitting down on the floor by his bed and digging out his broomstick servicing kit from under a mound of books, socks, and half finished essays.

Hoping that spending a bit of time polishing and clipping the tail twigs of Cedric's broom might put an end to his self-indulgent pity party, Harry set to work.

Unfortunately, Cedric seemed to have recently neatened up the tail of his broom as Harry only managed to find two bent twigs that needed clipping.

Feeling the thoughts begin to creep up on him once again, Harry hummed loudly, trying to focus on remembering the tune of a song he'd heard on the Wizarding Wireless Network during his summer stay at The Burrow, as he pulled out a tub of 'Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish'.

"Well, this is surprising; I never pegged you to be a fan of The Manticores."

Harry looked up in surprise, having not heard anyone enter the dormitory, and found Seamus standing by his bed watching him in amusement. "The Manticores?"

"The song," Seamus pulled a face of disgust said. "One of those love songs me mam likes to listen to, 'Flagrate on my heart' I think."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, sounds dreadful."

Seamus shrugged and sat down on the floor opposite Harry. "You're the one humming it. Whose broom's that anyway?" He nodded at the Cleansweep Harry was still polishing.

"Cedric's, he said I can borrow it for practices."

"And _why_ are you polishing Cedric Diggory's broom?" Seamus asked eyeing the broom as though it was a dangerous animal.

Harry snorted, unable to suppress his grin at the accidental innuendo. "Yeah, well, I was _riding _it earlier."

Seamus stared at Harry blankly for several seconds before his eyes widened in comprehension and a pink flush spread across his cheeks. "Ugh, Harry, that's terrible."

Harry grinned, amused at how innocent Seamus looked with his ears and cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. "You started it."

Seamus met Harry's eyes and smiled widely, his entire frame shaking with suppressed giggles.

Before he knew it, Harry and Seamus were both rolling on the floor, hardly able to breathe from laughing. The jokes hadn't really been all that funny, but for some reason neither boy was able to stop laughing for some time.

Sitting up and wiping a tear of mirth for under his eye, Harry noted that he hadn't actually seen Seamus laugh properly since before their trip into the Chamber of Secrets. Seamus's laugh now was almost hysterical and one look at Seamus, clutching his ribs and lying on his side red-faced with tears streaming down his face, set Harry off laughing again.

The dormitory door opened but Harry, who was still laughing so hard that his chest ached, couldn't sit up.

"Are you two all right, did someone hit you with a cheering charm? I could get Percy to reverse it if you want." Ron appeared around the side of Harry's bed watching the two laughing boys in alarm.

Harry took a deep breath and rested a hand on his mattress to pull himself up as he tried to calm himself down. "No... we're... we're fine." Harry managed to say between great gasping breaths.

Seamus, who had managed to push himself up onto Dean's bed, took a deep breath and said, "We we're just discussing how Harry had been _playing_ with Diggory's broom recently."

Unable to hold back the laughter that rose in his chest, Harry snorted rudely and clamped his hand over his mouth trying to hold back the silent giggles that were threatening to escape.

Ron glanced from Harry to Seamus and shook his head. "What's so funny about that? Diggory lent it to you, didn't he? That's what Pearce said."

Harry nodded silently, unable to open his mouth for fear of letting out the uncontrollable laughter.

Ron shook his head again and picked up the jumper he'd obviously come upstairs to collect before heading back to the door, shooting a suspicious look at Harry and Seamus as he pulled the dorm door closed behind him.

"Playing?" Harry repeated in a voice strained from laughter as the door clicked shut behind Ron. "Playing? And you said I was terrible?"

Seamus snorted, his face still red from laughing. "Had to be said, I don't think Ron appreciated the wit of it though."

"I don't imagine Cedric would if he knew we were talking about him." Harry glanced at the broom and blushed. "Merlin, I bet he'd be horrified."

"Well _I_ _am_ horrified," Seamus said crossing his legs and watching Harry in amusement. "Never knew you had such a dirty mind, I must say I'm surprised."

Harry shook his head and sighed, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. "Everything's seems to be bothering me at the moment." Harry sighed again and crossed his legs. "Do you ever get the feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day anymore?"

"Not really. At the moment I feel that there are _too many_ hours in the day, you know? There just seems to be long hours everywhere, when I've got nothing better to do but sit there remembering the ch- just thinking of nothing."

Harry felt his heart sink, Seamus had been about to mention the chamber, yet another sign that he was still struggling to cope with what had happened. Every time Seamus flinched when Malfoy's father or Severus were mentioned in conversation, and when he refused to even pass Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, it was just another reminder of how much the events down in the chamber had damaged Seamus and how he wouldn't let Harry help him. "You really should talk about it, mate."

Seamus stood up and crossed the room, sitting down on the end of Harry's bed and pursing his lips. "I'm fine!"

Harry raised his eyebrows and Seamus continued shaking his head. "I am; you're the one that looks terrible."

Harry snorted, disappointed that Seamus was still refusing to speak about what happened. "That's hardly my fault; I got my looks from my parents."

Crossing his arms, Seamus shook his head, smiling lightly. "That's not what I meant and you know it; give it a year or so and every girl in the school will want you to ask them to Hogsmeade."

Harry rolled his eyes. "But will they want _me_ to ask them or will they want the boy-who-lived to ask them? I bet there are plenty of people out there who think they already know me and will hardly feel the need to bother actually getting to know the real me."

"What does it matter as long as the girls actually want to go out with you? And anyway you're already better off than me, then, since most of the girls in the school _do _know the real me and hate it." Seamus said lightly.

"No, that's not true; Hermione, Ginny, and Luna like you." Harry said.

"Ah, yes, but Luna's... well, strange and I can't really go out with Hermione or Ginny."

Harry nodded, wondering if he'd ever actually be all right with the idea of Hermione having a boyfriend at all, she definitely wasn't old enough to have a boyfriend now... maybe after they'd left Hogwarts. "Yeah, could you imagine Ron, Fred, George, and Percy if someone tried it on with Ginny?"

Seamus shrugged. "That's protective older brothers for you."

"Ah, what can you do, mate?" Harry shrugged, grinning at Seamus as he tried to work out what he'd do if someone asked Hermione on a date to Hogsmeade, probably hex them at the very least.

_OOOOO_

Gritting his teeth, Harry focused on building a mental wall between his and Hermione's souls; if he couldn't do this, then there was no way he'd be able to face a dementor for his first Patronus lesson with Remus the next morning.

Placing his wand gently on his pillow, Harry peeked around the hangings of his bed, ensuring that he could still hear his dorm-mates' soft snores. Happy that no one seemed to be awake, Harry crawled back into bed, pulled out his silver potions knife, and cast a quick '_tergeo'_ on the blade.

Making sure that the hangings around his bed were properly closed, Harry sat back, closing his eyes and focusing on the bond, trying with all his might to close it off.

Taking deep breaths, in and out, Harry attempted to block out all thoughts of Hermione from his mind whilst at the same time pushing forwards, fighting his way towards Hermione's mind.

Just as he felt he was about to fall into Hermione's mind, Harry stopped, pulling back and imagining a shield between their psyches.

Taking several deep breaths Harry steeled himself for what he was about to do, hoping that Hermione wouldn't be able to feel anything through the bond.

Gritting his teeth again, Harry picked up the hand towel he'd taken from the bathroom earlier and folded it into quarters so that it was shorter and thicker. Placing the towel between his teeth Harry bit down, and praying that he had managed to close off the bond, he picked up his potions knife and shakily held it over his left hand.

Bringing the knife down fast, Harry pushed the blade into the palm of his hand as hard as he could. The world tilted as Harry's hand began to bleed and he blinked fast, spitting out the towel and hastily placing it under his hand as the blood welled up and spilled out over his bed sheet.

Picking up his wand, Harry cast the healing charm Percy had taught him and watched as the bleeding slowed and stopped entirely as his hand scabbed over; healing in the space of five seconds and leaving a small, raised white line across the palm of his hand.

Harry held his breath; he was certain that stabbing himself in the hand had been painful enough for Hermione to have felt through the bond, but if he hadn't managed to close it successfully then she'd definitely know what he'd done. Reaching out through the bond, Harry pushed down the wall he'd erected and closed his eyes, trying to gauge whether or not he'd woken her with his self mutilation.

Satisfied that Hermione's thoughts were far too fuzzy for her to be awake, Harry leaned back in bed and wrapped the knife in his towel, dropping it over the side of his bed. Using the knife was definitely the best method of testing, Harry thought as he curled up under his blanket, the only other idea he'd had was jumping from the Gryffindor Quidditch stands and a slightly aching palm was certainly preferable to breaking both of his legs.

_OOOOO_

"It would be both dangerous and impractical to use a real dementor for these lessons, and so I've found us a boggart to use in its place." Remus said, pointing to a wooden chest on his desk as Harry arrived in his office for the Patronus lesson, which they had arranged on Friday afternoon. "Now, I understand that your boggart does not take the form of a dementor, however, it is possible to force the boggart to assume whatever form you desire."

"Right." Harry said, trying to keep his voice from shaking in apprehension, he still hadn't forgotten the sound of what he now knew to be his mother pleading for his life and was in no hurry to hear it again.

Remus pulled out his wand and indicated that Harry follow his lead. "Now, to cast a Patronus you need a happy memory or thought, the incantation is _Expecto patronum_."

"Okay." Harry said, forcing up the wall between himself and Hermione, thankful that, like many spells, it took much less effort to achieve and maintain since he'd already succeeded in doing it once. Once he'd got the shield up, Harry focused on his happy memory, remembering Christmas with his family, how everyone he loved had been happy and safe.

"_Expecto patronum._" Harry repeated. "_Expecto patronum!_" A faint silver wisp of smoke floated from the end of Harry's wand.

Harry frowned in disappointment, what he'd done at the Quidditch match had been a thousand times more powerful and he'd been expecting a lot more than just a bit of smoke.

Closing his eyes, Harry focused on happy memories, he remembered what he'd seen in the Mirror of Erised and how that had made him feel, the look on Severus's face when he'd proudly announced his engagement to Charity and the sound of phoenix song. He thought about his family and each of his friends, and the small idiosyncratic things he loved so much about them; how Hermione beamed with pride whenever she succeeded in casting a new spell, how Seamus preferred to walk everywhere barefoot, and the amazement he always felt when Ron managed to eat fourth helpings at every meal. He thought of how Neville always seemed to look surprised when he got an answer right in lesson, and how Dean still, after three years of magical education, always looked twice at magical paintings when their occupants moved.

Letting the happiness and love fill him Harry gripped his wand tighter and said forcefully, _"Expecto __P__atronum!"_

The stag that burst from Harry's wand was nowhere near as bright as the Patronus he had cast at the Quidditch match but he had cast it alone, without the help of the bond.

Harry reached out to touch the great silver stag but as soon as his hand passed through the silvery mist it began to fade, disappearing into nothingness. There was silence as Harry stood still, his hand still held out as if to touch the stag and his heart pounding fiercely.

"Merlin..." Remus breathed, staring at the place where the stag had disappeared from, the expression on his face almost pained.

Harry let his hand fall to his side and turned to look up at Remus. "Moony, are you all right?"

Remus blinked twice and glanced over at Harry. "I never imagined that I would ever see that stag again, James, his a- his Patronus was the same." Remus said, his voice sounding choked with emotion.

Harry felt a sudden warmth grow in his chest and he couldn't help but smile at Remus's news, it made him feel all the closer to his father as though even now, years after his death he was still there watching over Harry and protecting him from harm.

"The antlers- that's why you called him Prongs?" Harry asked.

"Yes, James's... _P__atronus _was a stag and Peter's was a rat, hence the name Wormtail." Remus said, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.

"And what about Pa..." Harry trailed off, so caught up in learning about the marauders that he almost didn't realize whom he was asking about. "Sorry, ignore that I don't even want to know."

Remus rubbed his hands together and looked away, blinking furiously. "I think you should try out the spell whilst facing the boggart now, are you ready?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah." Harry gripped his wand tightly and turned to face the wooden chest. Quickly checking that the wall closing the bond was still strong enough to keep Hermione out, Harry focused on his happy thoughts.

Remus took hold of the lid of the case and pulled the lid off.

_A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath, and a wave of piercing cold broke over him._

A voice rang in Harry's ears, echoing louder and louder, _"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"_

There was a high, cold laugh and another voice hissed, _"Avada __k__edavra!"_

There was the thud of James's body hitting the floor and now a woman was screaming, her voice frantic and terrified, _"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"_

The cold coming from the dementor was all-consuming, Harry felt as though he were drowning.

_"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…"_

Harry felt his heartbeat pick up speed, he knew what was coming next and he didn't want to hear it again. Trying to keep his mind on his happy memory, Harry squeezed the handle of his wand and yelled, _"Expecto patronum!"_

A huge silver shadow burst from the end of Harry's wand, it wasn't quite the stag he'd managed earlier but it was certainly more that the thin silvery fog he'd cast on his first attempt. The boggart-dementor, which had been coming towards him stopped in its tracks and then began to move backwards, the partial Patronus pushing it backwards.

As the dementor disappeared back into the box, Harry's grip on his wand slackened, and panting, he collapsed backwards onto one of Remus's chairs, his hands shaking from exhaustion.

"Harry, are you feeling all right?" Remus asked, sealing the chest and sitting down on a chair opposite Harry.

Harry nodded, feeling a traitorous prickling in the corners of his eyes. He had just heard his father's voice for the first time that he could remember. He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes and blinked them back furiously.

He couldn't have asked for better father substitutes than Uncle Vernon and Severus, but remembering how Voldemort had laughed before striking his father down, Harry realized that he shouldn't have had to. He should have had James there for him, James should have been the one who gave him the invisibility cloak, who bought him his first broom, and who praised him upon receiving his first detention.

As he wiped away his tears with the cuff of his robes, Harry thought with mounting anger that it was Voldemort who had deprived him of this; Voldemort who had killed hundreds of innocent people. It was Voldemort's fault that Frank and Alice Longbottom would never recover their minds, Voldemort's fault that Sirius Black was a traitor, and Voldemort's fault that Harry had no parents.

"Harry, are you all right?" Remus asked again, pretending not to notice Harry wiping his tears away.

Harry nodded again. "I heard my dad... when Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow, he tried to hold him off so that me and my mum could escape, but he didn't stand a chance. He died like a proper Gryffindor," Harry said, feeling pride well up inside him. "Fighting 'till the end to save me and my mum."

Remus blew his nose loudly, his face slightly flushed. "James was a good man, a good friend and a brilliant father, I can tell you in all honesty that he would be very proud to see everything that you've accomplished."

Harry shook his head. "What have I accomplished? I'm struggling to even stay awake in lessons and I'm failing Arithmancy and Astronomy." Harry paused, wondering whether to tell Remus about his other fear. Taking a deep breath and deciding that he could hardly tell Seamus off for bottling things up when he was keeping his worries secret, Harry winced and added in a whisper, "And I'm not a proper Gryffindor."

Remus smiled kindly and laced his hands together. "And what makes you think that you're not a proper Gryffindor?"

"I wasn't actually sorted." Harry said, continuing to whisper as though if he wasn't careful enough someone else would hear him. "The hat put me in the same house as Hermione because of the bond."

"Sorting means nothing, Harry, the Sorting Hat generally takes student's own opinions into account." Remus looked conspiratorially around his office and said in a low voice, "Now, if you tell anyone what I'm about to say I will deny it most vehemently, but do you truly believe that if the Sorting Hat sorted according to personality alone, Severus would have been in Slytherin?"

Harry shook his head. "That might be true, but Neville told me that when he was sorted he thought he belonged in Hufflepuff, but that the hat ignored him and put him in Gryffindor."

Remus smiled indulgently. "Yes, well, there are several different types of Gryffindors; unfortunately, you, like your father and Si... like your father are the kind of Gryffindor who doesn't think before acting. If, for instance, Ron was in danger, I have no doubt that you would attempt to rescue him, even if the odds were stacked quite steeply against you. Everyone knows this about you, including yourself. Neville, however, is a different kind of Gryffindor, and dare I say it, the smarter kind." Remus winced as Harry frowned at him in confusion, trying to work out whether or not Remus had just insulted him. "I do not mean to say that you are not intelligent, Harry; on the contrary, you are exceptionally bright, but Neville possesses a healthy amount of fear. He would still rush into a deadly situation, but unlike you and your father, Neville can see how dangerous the things you do are. I have no doubt that if, during your first year at Hogwarts, you had told Neville that he would slay a basilisk in a year he would have told you that he wasn't brave enough. Neville doesn't quite see himself clearly, but the Sorting Hat wasn't wrong in putting him in Gryffindor. Just like how, despite his bravery, Severus suited Slytherin well enough."

"That's all very well, but I wasn't actually sorted, so the whole 'Sorting Hat knows best' thing doesn't actually apply."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Harry, you're brave, daring, chivalrous, courageous, and you have a healthy disregard for rules, you are a true Gryffindor and you don't need a hat to tell you that." Remus smiled fondly at Harry and handed him a very large bar of Honeydukes finest chocolate. "Now you'd better eat the whole thing or Madam Pomfrey will be out for my blood."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Aunt Helen and Uncle David spent most of their time working. Harry couldn't even remember them ever being at one of his, Hermione's, or Dudley's sport's days or school plays. So it came as a great surprise to Harry and Hermione when, at the end of their journey home for Christmas, they looked out of the window of the Hogwarts Express and saw them standing on Platform Nine and Three Quarters waiting for them.

As soon as the train pulled to a halt, Harry and Hermione wished their friends a merry Christmas and agreed to meet up towards the end of the holidays. Harry threw his invisibility cloak over Cosmo who's fur, after having so many Disillusionment Charms cast on it in the past four months, had taken on a chameleon-like quality and often altered in shade to match its surroundings, making him much less Grimm-like in appearance.

Harry, Hermione, and Cosmo crossed the crowded platform and ran to the two adults waiting for them. Aunt Helen and Uncle David greeted them with hurried hugs and kisses before ushering them into one of the many fireplaces that lined the platform.

Harry, who had followed Hermione and Aunt Helen into the fire fell face first out of the fireplace, as Cosmo barrelled into the back of his legs, and landed painfully on the floor of Aunt Petunia's kitchen. Standing up, he dragged Hedwig and his trunk out of the way of the fireplace so that Uncle David wouldn't fall over it as he arrived.

Charity, who must have Apparated straight from Hogsmeade after school had finished, was sitting at the kitchen table reading a copy of the Daily Prophet, with her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Where's everyone else?" Harry asked looking around the kitchen as Uncle David slid out of the fire.

"Severus, Vernon, and Petunia have gone to collect Dudley from school." Charity said, folding the paper and laying it down on the table.

"What, all of them?" Harry asked, wondering why it could possibly take three people to collect his brother from school.

Boiling the kettle with a flick of her wand, Charity said, "Sirius Black has been sighted in London, that's why David and Helen were in such a hurry to collect you from the station."

"Black?" Harry asked, almost dropping the teacups he had taken from the cupboard. "Where in London was he? Who saw him? When was it?"

"It was three days ago and he hasn't been sighted since, the Ministry suspects that he was trying to get into Diagon Alley but they don't know why." Charity said, summoning the kettle and pouring Harry, Hermione, Helen, David, and herself each a cup of tea.

Harry glanced at Hermione wondering if he would actually have been able to protect her from Black if they'd run into him at the station. Accepting a teacup from Charity, he decided that he wouldn't have actually been able to beat Black, but he most probably would have been able to hold him off whilst she escaped. "Did he attack anyone?" He finally asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"No, the Muggle who saw him phoned the police from a nearby phone box but by the time the Aurors had been informed, he had already disappeared. The Floo Network found that someone flooed from the Leaky Cauldron to Hogsmeade around the time that Black disappeared. The residents of the address, where the floo network was used, say that no one was in at the time, but Tom, the landlord, is adamant that he would have noticed if Sirius Black had walked into his pub and used one of his fireplaces to leave the pub." Charity told him as Aunt Helen went to the cupboard under the stairs to ask Dobby if he would like to help make dinner. "Of course, not all of this information is in the Prophet but Minister Fudge informed Professor Dumbledore so that he could add more protection to the school if necessary."

Harry, feeling the horror coming through the bond from Hermione, knew exactly what she was thinking and shook his head in amazement. "Well, thank Merlin the people who owned that house in Hogsmeade were out, I daren't imagine what could have happened to them if they had been at home."

Hermione nodded. "Why haven't we heard about this earlier? If this happened three days ago shouldn't it have been in yesterday's Prophet?"

"Minister Fudge decided that it would be best to keep quiet until the end of term so as not to cause panic at Hogwarts." Charity shook her head in disgust as though not happy with this decision. "If it wasn't for Professor Dumbledore we wouldn't even have heard about it until today."

"Fudge is an idiot." Harry said derisively. "Has he got the Aurors out looking for Black? There's a load of caves up in the hills around Hogsmeade, maybe he's hiding out up there."

Charity shook her head. "Dumbledore has personally ensured that the caves were checked and no, Minister Fudge believes that his Aurors have better things to do than chase a mass murderer across the highlands."

Harry rolled his eyes. "How did he even manage to become Minister in the first place? The git."

"Harry dear, watch your language." Aunt Helen chastised as she and Dobby re-entered the kitchen.

"Sorry, Aunt Helen." Harry said sheepishly. "Hey, Dobby, how are you?"

"Hello, Harry Potter, sir, Dobby is very well, sir, Dobby is very much liking his new masters." Dobby said rushing across the room and embracing Harry around his knees.

"Dobby," Hermione said, her voice low and concerned. "You do know that you don't have any masters, don't you? There isn't a hierarchy; we're all equal, Wizards, Witches, Muggles, Mudbloods and houselves."

"Hermione." Harry said warningly, Hermione had taken to referring to herself as a Mudblood and whilst Harry didn't like her doing it, Hermione would just scoff and talk about something called amelioration. "You really shouldn't call yourself that, I've hexed Malfoy for less."

Charity, who looked appalled both at what Hermione had called herself and Harry's casual reference to hexing classmates, looked to Aunt Helen who, being a Muggle, looked rather confused by the whole conversation.

Sure enough, Hermione scoffed at Harry's warning and said, "If you're allowed to say Voldemort, why can't I say mudblood?"

"It's completely different." Harry argued half-heartedly, knowing that, like always, when they had this argument Hermione would eventually win.

"By calling myself Mudblood, I'm acknowledging my heritage and showing the Pureblood supremacists like Malfoy that I'm proud that my parents are Muggles." Hermione said defiantly.

"You're insulting your heritage; _mudblood__,_Hermione, mud-blood, it means filthy blood." Harry protested.

"Yes, and in the thirteenth century the definition of nice was foolish, the meanings of words are changing constantly." Hermione pointed out with an air of finality as she turned back to Dobby who was watching Harry and Hermione in utter bewilderment. "I'm very pleased that you like living here Dobby."

Grinning at Harry, Hermione and Charity, Dobby turned to Aunt Helen and the two of them began making dinner whilst Uncle David took Hermione's trunk next door to her room.

"So, have you started planning the wedding yet?" Harry asked Charity as he poured himself a second cup of tea.

"We haven't set a date yet, but we're thinking about the end of June; we'll have a Muggle wedding in a Muggle church. Since neither I, nor Severus has any parents or siblings, and you're our only family, we'll have a small venue, just us and a few of the Hogwarts staff, Professor Dumbledore, Remus, Minerva, Filius, Pomona, and Rubeus. Most of Severus's school friends were Death Eaters and I lost contact with most of mine after school when I went to a Muggle university, so it'll just be us."

"And have you seen a dress yet?" Hermione asked, leaning closer, her eyes gleaming as excitement coursed through the bond, almost making Harry giggle from the second-hand excitement.

"Well, I did see one in a small boutique in York a while ago, we'll have to go have a look before the end of the holidays; we can pick out your bridesmaids dress then as well." Charity said, holding her breath and looking expectantly at Hermione.

There was a long pause and then Hermione's excitement level peaked and Harry actually let out a girlish squeal. Clapping a hand over his mouth, Harry blushed and then glared at Hermione. "_Hermione, _at least try to keep your emotions under control."

Ignoring him, Hermione launched herself across the table and hugged Charity. "Really? Your bridesmaid, ooh Charity, it'd be an honour!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry pulled Hermione back into her seat so that she wouldn't knock the teapot over and said, "Merlin's pants, Hermione! Calm down a bit, you almost knocked my head off as you flew across the table."

"But a bridesmaid, Harry!" Hermione said, not even sparing him a glance. "Who else are you asking? Oooh and who's going to walk you down the aisle?"

Harry groaned and stood up; deciding that if he left now Charity and Hermione wouldn't be able to trap him at the table talking about dresses and flowers all night. "Well, I'm going to go put my stuff in my room."

Feeling Cosmo appear at his heels, Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig and escaped the kitchen, still feeling the buzz of Hermione's excitement through the bond.

_OOOOO_

The two weeks of Christmas holidays passed like something from a Muggle Christmas film. The combined culinary skills of Aunt Petunia, Aunt Helen, Charity, and Dobby produced a mass of rich dinners, the likes of which not even the Hogwarts house elves could reproduce.

The Christmas tree, which Harry, Hermione, and Dudley had picked out on their second day home from school, took up almost a quarter of the living room. Severus and Charity had charmed small red ever-burning candles to hang from the Christmas tree like fairy lights and so adorned was it, with great glass baubles, velvet ribbons, tin bells, and endless strings of beads, that Severus had had to reinforce the branches with magic to stop them from bending under the immense weight of the decorations. Yards of tinsel ran around every doorframe and fireplace in the house and Harry had even managed to persuade Charity to charm the baubles, suspended from garlands which had been hung across the ceilings of almost every room in both the Dursley and Granger households, to periodically explode and shower the room in glitter and charmed snowflakes.

Every year, Aunt Petunia challenged the males of the two households to a cooking competition, with the men in Aunt Helen's kitchen and the women in Aunt Petunia's. The rules of the competition were fairly simple: they could cook anything they wanted, as long as there was a main course and dessert, and there was no magic to be used to aid with the cooking. This, unfortunately, also meant that Dobby ended up with the task of going from kitchen to kitchen, ensuring that the no magic rule was being followed.

In the hopes of actually beating the women at the cooking competition, Harry, Dudley, Uncle Vernon, Severus, and Uncle David had picked out their menu in October; they had chosen Game Pie for the main course, as one of the few things Aunt Petunia wouldn't do was skin and debone a rabbit or pheasant. Severus had bought the venison from a Muggle man who lived in a Muggle village on the other side of the mountains from Hogwarts and one of Uncle David's clients, at the dentist's surgery, owned a farm near Bishopthorpe and had sold him rabbit and pheasant for a reduced price.

The previous day, Harry and Dudley had wrapped themselves up in their old winter clothes and gone out into the back garden so that Uncle Vernon could teach them to skin a rabbit and pluck partridges and pheasants. It had been absolutely freezing outside, which had made plucking the feathers from the birds difficult, but surprisingly, Harry had actually rather enjoyed the gruesome task.

Up until Harry had gone to Hogwarts, Aunt Petunia had made a point of spending one evening a week baking with Harry as special 'Nephew-Aunt' bonding time, and so Harry had been given the task of baking a chocolate and chestnut cake, which they hoped would be Christmassy enough to impress the women. Vernon, who had taken charge of the group, decided that Severus's potions skill would make him good at making the filling for the pie; he and Uncle David made a winter salad with bread for a starter whilst Dudley, against everyone's better judgement, was put in charge of making the pastry for the pie.

Piling the soaked chestnuts into a food processor, Harry turned around to survey the kitchen, Uncle Vernon, who didn't usually eat fruit had scattered pomegranate seeds across the kitchen as he tried to break the fruit open and Dudley had managed to coat the floor and all of the work surfaces in flour. Peeking inside Hermione's head, Harry saw that their kitchen was pristine; he groaned and hit the on button on the food processor. Realising just a second too late that he'd forgotten to put the lid on Harry dropped to the floor and as a result managed to avoid the spray of mashed up chestnuts.

Peeking back up over the work surface, Harry managed to slam the palm of his hand into the off button on the food processor and stop the spray of chestnut purée. Furious with himself, Harry stood up and slammed his tea towel back onto the worktop. He'd just spent the past hour roasting and peeling a mountain of chestnuts and now they were spread across the kitchen in thousands of pulpy pieces.

"God, Harry, there's no need to be so angry, they're just hazelnuts." Dudley said, looking up from the pastry he was rolling at the table and shaking his head at his brother.

"They're bloody chestnuts! And I have every right to be angry, I've just spent the last hour preparing these and now it turns out it was for no reason whatsoever," Harry indicated to the mess of mashed chestnuts. "As if this kitchen wasn't messy enough."

Uncle Vernon crossed the kitchen and put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Calm down, son, I'm sure there's something we can do to fix it."

"I can't make a chestnut cake with my chestnuts stuck to the walls!" Harry sighed melodramatically and waved his arms at the cupboards. "And if I scrape them off they'll just taste like Dettol and furniture polish."

Dudley sorted loudly and wagged his finger at Harry. "Well, that serves you right for spying on Hermione."

Harry's nostrils flared in annoyance, Harry had found out on their first day back from school that Dudley could tell when he peeked into Hermione's mind through their auras and he found it rather frustrating just how much insight Dudley had into what he was feeling or thinking. "Could you just stop spying on my aura for once?"

"Oh yeah, I'll just turn it off like that should I?" Dudley clicked his fingers.

Harry sighed and flung his head back in irritation. "Don't be ridiculous, you just don't get it, no one can see into your mind. I can't have any secrets whatsoever; because you know when I'm in a secretive mood and Hermione can just pluck any thoughts straight out of my head. I mean it's hard enough just being a teenager but being a teenager who's taking far too many classes, has a mass-murdering psychopath out for his blood, a stupid soul bond, _and_ has to deal with being 'the chosen one'; it's just stupid."

Uncle Vernon wrapped his arms around him in what Harry imagined was supposed to be a 'fatherly' hug. "We'd all love it if you could be 'just a teenager' but the problem is, is that you're... special. We can't really do anything about the bond or you being 'the chosen one', but you don't need to worry about Black, the Ministry is looking for him and they're even using the dementoids. And as for the classes, I'm sure we could talk to Professor Dumbledore about it." Vernon glanced questioningly up at Severus who nodded. "Yes, so you just need to calm down, take a deep breath and we'll clean up all those hazelnuts and then we can think of something else for you to make."

Harry smiled, Uncle Vernon wasn't exactly the most eloquent person in the world, and like Dudley, he had managed to confuse hazelnuts and chestnuts, but he had somehow managed to calm Harry down. Harry couldn't remember having a father and so couldn't actually make a comparison but Harry though that in the absence of James Potter, Uncle Vernon really did do a spectacular job.

Uncle Vernon had done everything Harry would have ever expected a father to do; when he was younger, he'd tucked him into bed and left the light at the top of the stairs on when he'd had nightmares. When Harry had gotten older, Uncle Vernon had taught him to ride a bike, taken him on walks in the country, they'd gone camping, built a fire in the back garden, and he'd taken him and Dudley to rugby matches. He was supportive and he'd given both he and Dudley 'the talk' when they were old enough. Vernon was everything Harry would expect a father to be and Harry was sure that, if he could see them, his father would be pleased that in his absence Vernon had taken over the reins so well.

Harry forced a smile, feeling particularly stupid for his little outburst. "Yeah, I'll talk to McGonagall when we go back in January," Harry said, his face brightening as another idea came to him. "Maybe if Hermione doesn't want to drop anything I can use the hour I would've spent in lesson to practice duelling for when I do meet Black."

Vernon winced at Harry's plans to take down Black but seemed to think it would be better not to mention it and so instead said, "That's the spirit, now how about we see to cleaning up this mess so you can pick out another pudding to make?"

_OOOOO_

_Dear Percy,_

_I hope you had a nice Christmas, have you told your parents about your plans for after Hogwarts yet? If not__,__ I hope you didn't open the book on __A__uror training I sent you for Christmas in front of them, that'd give them a bit of a surprise__.__S__o__,__ if you hadn't mentioned it and you did open my gift in front of them, I'm terribly sorry__,__ and by way of apology I'll let you try out ten jinxes or hexes on me text time we're practicing duelling._

_You'll never believe what I got for Christmas, a Firebolt, a real life Firebolt! You know all about my uncle at school don't you? (If not__,__ ask Ron__,__ he'll be able to tell you) Anyway__,__ we came downstairs on Christmas morning and there it was just sitting under the tree! But unfortunately__,__ when Hermione and my uncle saw it they straight away decided that it was from Sirius Black and that it needed to be taken away for checking just in case there __were__ hexes on it or something__.__T__hat and he believes that 'anyone who would be foolish enough send a thirteen-year-old the fastest and most dangerous racing broom on the market must wish them dead' (I've sent Ron a letter too and I bet as soon as he reads it he'll say it got taken away because of my uncle's alliance to a certain opposing Quidditch team)._

_The cooking competition went as well as could be hoped, I had an accident with my cake and my brother somehow ended up making a sweet pastry__,__ which, whilst rather tasty, didn't really go with the savoury pie at all._

_Hope you had a great Christmas and I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express. _

_Merry Christmas._

_From Harry._

_P.S. Thank you for the book on defensive magic, I've already had a look through and it looks like there will be some really useful stuff to help with training, which I'll have more time for now that I'm dropping __A__rithmancy._

_P.P.S. Please thank your mother for the treacle toffee she sent, it was brilliant. I already asked Ron but I feel that you're more likely to pass the message on for me. Would you also thank Fred and George for their gift to me, tell them that it was a complete surprise and that I wasn't at all expecting it! _

xxxxx

_Dear Seamus,_

_Happy Christmas! I hope you've had a good Christmas so far. I got a __F__irebolt from some unknown person who my family seems to think might be Sirius Black and so they've taken it off me until they can strip it down for testing. Wood's going to be thrilled when he hears about it and I just bet everyone in Gryffindor tower will want to fondle my new broom__!__ Hermione's reading this over my shoulder and has just pointed out that 'fondle' is a very interesting word to use in relation to a broom... she also said that our use of double entendre is like something from a bad Carry On film__._

_Anyway, I really hope that your nightmares haven't been bothering you too much this week and if they have then I hope that you've at least told your mum about them. However, I'm pretty sure that you haven't told her about them__.__A__nd since you won't talk about it they're probably not getting any better__,__ so I've gotten you some dreamless sleeping potion from my uncle, I'm only sending three bottles now so that you don't overdose (my uncle said that that's all he can give to you anyway since you're underage and your mum doesn't know). I know since the chamber that you don't really trust my uncle, but I promise none of them are poisoned (not that I don't trust my uncle, but since you don't and to prove that my uncle is trustworthy I tested it on myself last night and I'm still alive now!)._

_I hope you've had a lovely Christmas._

_From Harry._

xxxxx

_Harry and Hermione_

_Merry Christmas, thank you both for the magical paint set it's brilliant, so far I've only used it to paint a picture of my youngest sister but when we get back to school and I can charm the paintings to move (the magic paint works better than the __M__uggle stuff because apparently the pictures are less temperamental). I hope you both had a good Christmas too._

_I can't believe that you got a __F__irebolt for Christmas! There's no way Gryffindor isn't going to win the __H__ouse __C__up now._

_I can't wait to get back to school__;__ my sisters are driving me mental. The oldest one, Lucy, who's ten__,__ has developed a bit of a crush on Harry after hearing my stories and sharing a room with Hermione when she stayed at mine (she's been asking all week if Harry could come over)._

_See you soon,_

_From, Dean._

xxxxx

_Dear Harry,_

_I can't believe you got a __F__irebolt for Christmas. A __**F**__**irebolt**__! And your 'Uncle Toby' just took it off you, if that's not Slytherin favouritism I don't know what is, the bias git! Do you think you'll get it back before the next Quidditch match__?__ Wood's going to go mental when he finds out, maybe you should talk to McGonagall about it or Dumbledore!_

_Percy told mum and dad about his plans to become an __A__uror just as we were having dessert. Mum was so pleased that she started crying and knocked over the Christmas pudding__,__ which set fire to the __tablecloth__. Pudding was ruined but it was actually quite fun, Percy's been acting a lot more fun since last year and when I've finished this letter we're off up to the orchard for a Weasley Family Quidditch match, even mum's going to play!_

_I hope you__,__H__ermione__,__ and Dudley had a nice Christmas__.__S__till can't believe your luck with your uncle, it's not as if Sirius Black could have actually sent that broom, I mean he's a wanted criminal, he couldn't exactly have walked into Quality Quidditch Supplies and just bought a broom without anyone thinking, 'he looks like __the__ blok__e__ of__f__ the wanted poster'._

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Ron._

* * *

_**A/N: A big thanks to my brilliant beta and to everyone who has read, reviewed or added this story as a ******__favourite_. Sorry for the length between updates, I'm going away for two weeks but hopefully as soon as I'm home I'll be able to get back on top of writing.   


_**Thank you for you patience  
**_

_**-beksta  
**_


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Immediately after returning to school following Christmas, Harry followed Uncle Vernon's advice and went to Professor McGonagall's office, to ask if he could drop Arithmancy. Surprisingly, convincing McGonagall that he should be allowed to drop a subject halfway through the year proved to be nothing compared to convincing Hermione that he should. As a result, Hermione refused to speak to him for a week due to her annoyance at what she dubbed his 'defeatist attitude'.

After a week of Hermione glaring at him and mentally assaulting him through the bond whenever he tried to speak to her, she finally agreed that it was okay that he'd dropped Arithmancy so long as he promised to use the time which would have otherwise been used for lessons to do homework. Much to Ron's amusement Harry, the boy who had faced and defeated three incarnations of Lord Voldemort, had immediately agreed to her condition for fear of facing another week spent in the company of a wrathful Hermione .

As reluctant as he was to admit it, Hermione's insistence, or rather demand, that he do his homework so far in advance had actually worked in his favour; his organization on the homework front had given him several hours additional time to practice Quidditch and duelling.

By the end of April, Harry had not only successfully mastered the Patronus Charm but had also begun work on using his Patronus as a form of communication, an alteration to the spell that Professor Dumbledore had apparently devised. Another benefit Harry attributed to his dropping of Arithmancy, and the fact that Severus had returned his Firebolt four weeks after the start of term, was the fact that with only one match remaining, Gryffindor was in the lead for the Quidditch Cup for the first time in eight years.

"Who lead the Great Goblin Nation to Britain?" Hermione asked Harry from over the top of her history revision notes.

Harry tilted his head to the side and pushed his glasses up his nose. They'd been sitting on the floor in Harry's dormitory revising for their History of Magic exam the following week for several hours now; Harry had so far only answered six of Hermione's questions correctly. "Was it... Gorbalock the Grumpy?"

Hermione opened her mouth, glanced down at her notes for a second time and Harry was surprised to see a small smile form on her face. "Yes, brilliant, Harry, I think we're finally getting somewhere. Looking at past questions, I think this is going to be a big topic on the exam so I think we should focus on the hardships which they faced on the journey."

Harry nodded, suddenly feeling rather well prepared for the exam, he was sure he knew about this topic. "I think I remember this, didn't they come across a dragon's nest?"

Hermione nodded, shuffling through her notes to find the right page. "Yes, excellent... you're not _peeking _at the sheets are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No," Harry shook his head in indignation. "I think I actually know this."

"Right," Hermione put the sheets face down on the floor and looked Harry in the eyes. "so what else can you tell me?"

"All right, then," Harry said, crossing his arms defiantly and meeting Hermione's stare, he could prove to her that he knew about the Goblin Wars. "I think they also ran into a colony of Acromantula and this caused loads of trouble because, well... most Acromantula are huge compared to goblins, aren't they? But luckily, when they made camp near a Wizarding settlement, they did some metal work in exchange for gold and magical items, and one of them had gotten an invisibility cloak, which allowed him to kill a load of the spiders."

Hermione frowned at Harry and picked her notes back up. "Right." She said, still frowning, and gestured for him to continue.

"Well, then the goblins were captured by a group of centaurs who believed that they'd seen something bad in the stars about them," Harry continued watching as Hermione's frown deepened and lines formed between her eyebrows; feeling slightly uneasy, Harry tried to continue from where he'd finished. "But fortunately, they were rescued by a bear Animagus who bundled them into barrels and sent them down a river, which- _what are you laughing at?" _Harry stopped talking and glowered at Hermione who'd gasped and then begun giggling.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles and smiled apologetically at him. "You haven't been reading any Tolkien recently, have you?"

"You know I have," Harry said, feeling his annoyance at Hermione increase. "you told me off just the other day for reading 'The Hobbit' instead of paying attention in history."

Hermione sighed and collected her history notes together. "Look, just this once I'm going to duplicate my notes for you, you've gotten some of the facts right- Gorbalock did lead the goblins to a herd of Centaurs but a lot of the events you think happened are taken straight from 'The Hobbit'."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, leaned back against his trunk at the end of his bed, and sighed loudly in relief. Maybe he didn't know as much about the Goblin Wars as he thought he had, but at least now he'd have some proper notes instead of a stack of half-finished games of hangman and noughts and crosses. "You're brilliant, Hermione, I really do love you." Harry sighed again and shook his head. "Merlin, I can't believe I got all that wrong, though; I was fairly certain I was right."

"You probably just copied down your notes incorrectly," Hermione said soothingly. "I imagine your answers were due to the fact you were studying from wrong notes, you'll be able to correct that with a bit of work."

Harry nodded slowly, wondering if Hermione actually realized who she was talking to, surely she knew by now that he didn't revise; she certainly would never accuse Ron of revision, so why would she assume that he had bothered picking up his nonexistent notes. "Yeah, I suppose your right." Harry lied, not meeting Hermione's eyes and hoping that she couldn't feel that he was lying through the bond.

"I think I could maybe do with a bit of fresh air." Harry stood up a stretched. "I, uh, think that if I just clear out my... mind a bit, I could probably remember more when I come back to revise later."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you're going to practice duelling with Percy, please take Cosmo with you, he's been pacing the room for at least half an hour now."

Harry grinned, watching Hermione as she duplicated her notes and set it down on the end of his bed. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you, Hermione; you are probably the most brilliant person I've ever met."

Hermione nodded her head, her eyebrows raised in amusement. "Yes, well, I can hardly let you fail your exams."

Harry smiled, picked up his summer cloak and whistled. "Cosmo, come on, we're off for a walk. Don't worry about me failing, Hermione, if I get stuck in an exam I can just take a peek into your mind and get the answers that way."

Harry shot Hermione another bright grin, recast the Disillusionment Charm on Cosmo who had appeared next to him and headed out through the dormitory door. "I'll see you later."

At the bottom of the staircase to the boys' dormitory, Harry remembered that he'd promised Dean and Ron that they could come with him and have a go on his Firebolt the next time he went to practicing duelling with Percy. He turned to head back up the staircase, but was met by Hermione who had collected her notes together and had brought them, and his broomstick, with her down to the common room.

"It's a good job you remembered when you did or else you'd be going back up there to collect it yourself." Hermione said as she handed him his broomstick.

"Have I ever told you that you're brilliant?"

"Frequently." Hermione noted dryly.

"Well, you really are." Harry pulled Hermione into a quick hug and kissed her on the cheek before turning to face to common room, searching the crowd of people for Ron and Dean. Catching sight of them in a corner playing chess, Harry stood on his tiptoes and bellowed across the common room. "Oi, Ron, Dean, you coming flying?"

"Course, let me just put my chess pieces away, ever since I let Seamus use them they've been trying to escape." Ron shouted back across the common room.

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the portrait hole."

Hermione swatted Harry on the arm and frowned at him. "Inside voice, please, Harry." She admonished in a near perfect imitation of Aunt Petunia. "There's no need for you to shout."

"Yeah, yeah, _mum, _I'll see you later then, Mrs. Bossy Knickers." Harry picked his way across the common room, feeling Hermione mentally swat him on the back of the head in annoyance as she spread her history notes out on a nearby table.

_OOOOO_

Harry, Ron, and Dean found Percy sitting out by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, frowning in concentration and pointing his wand at his left hand.

"What spell 're you doing there?" Harry asked, handing his broom to Ron and removing the Disillusionment Charm from Cosmo.

"It's a basic human transfiguration spell called 'Homomutatrum', one of the six Auror disciplines is 'concealment and disguise'." Harry watched as the skin on Percy's left hand darkened and the fingers lengthened.

"Wow, Percy, that's brilliant, can you use it to morph facial features too?"

"Yes, but it can be very difficult and it takes a lot of magic to keep up the spells, if you don't have someone cast them on you. There was a Hufflepuff Metamorphmagus in Charlie's year when he was at school." Percy said with a pained expression as he looked down at his own hand. "This is rather unimpressive compared to that."

Harry, who had read about Metamorphmagi when he was researching the Animagus transformation, shrugged. "If you think about it properly, that's more impressive; Metamorphmagi are born, so really their transformation doesn't take any skill, it's like being jealous of a chameleon for being good at disguise."

Percy shrugged, transfigured his hand back to normal and stood up. "So what do you want to practice this afternoon?"

"I was thinking maybe '_duro_' the Petrification Curse. I've looked into it and it seems that if you're quick enough you could actually use it to block the Killing Curse, you know, by transfiguring an object into a physical shield." Harry took off his cloak and dropped it on the floor by a nearby tree.

"I imagine you'd have to be very fast to manage to block a Killing Curse like that." Percy said as he shook the stiffness out of his arms and legs.

Harry took his wand out of the back pocket of his jeans and stretched his arms above his head. "Yeah, that's why I think that agility is important, we need to be able to duck and dodge- _stupefy,_" Harry sent a Stunning spell at Percy who blocked it with ease. "and I think it could also be used as a more permanent form of stunning, it's reversible but doesn't wear off, _protego._" Harry blocked Percy's Body-Bind Curse and moved further out into the open.

"That does sound rather useful, _s__tupefy_, but I imagine it will take us a while to learn, I was thinking we could also try the Conjunctivitis Curse." Percy blocked another hex that Harry sent at him and ducked behind a tree.

Harry and Percy's practice duel continued for several more minutes until Harry knocked himself out with his own Stunning spell, which had missed Percy and hit Harry as it rebounded from a tree.

After Percy had revived Harry, they began practicing the petrification spell on inanimate objects, which according to Percy, would be much easier than petrifying people or animals.

After several hours of practice, Percy had successfully turned the leaf he was practicing on to stone, and Harry, optimistically, thought that his leaf appeared to be slightly more brittle than it had before.

"Ah, it looks as though we have missed dinner again." Percy said as he checked his watch again. "I'm patrolling at nine; I've got about an hour before I need to report to the headmaster's office."

Harry glanced over at where Dean was flying over by the Quidditch pitch. "You'd think those two would have gotten hungry ages ago, we can head down to the kitchens for a bit of dinner now if you want, that'll give you time to eat and get to Dumbledore's office."

It was a regular occurrence when he and Percy practiced defensive magic that they'd practice through meal times. They never planned to but often they got so caught up with duelling and learning new spells that several hours would pass without either boy realizing. At first, Percy had refused to visit the kitchens to catch up on lost meals, protesting vehemently that they were out of bounds; however, after spending six hours of the following day practicing Quidditch in the rain with Harry, Fred, and George, Percy's views on having a late dinner in the kitchens changed swiftly.

Harry and Percy had just agreed to call it a day with their duelling when they heard a shout from near the Quidditch pitch. "Scabbers, no... Cosmo, stay, no, bad dog!"

Harry glanced over at Percy who was watching Ron chasing Cosmo across the Quidditch pitch, with Dean flying several metres above him on Harry's broom, with a look of bemusement on his face.

Turning, Harry snatched up his cloak from where he'd left it on the floor and began running towards Ron and Cosmo with Percy thudding along loudly behind him. He looked around the empty grounds and watched, impressed, as Dean landed running, shouldered Harry's broom, and followed Ron.

"Cosmo, no!" Harry bellowed, picking up his speed as he neared Ron and Dean.

Just as Harry reached his friends, he saw Cosmo and a small brown shape he assumed to be Scabbers disappear into the Forbidden Forest. Harry and Ron exchanged a quick, worried glance before diving through the undergrowth after their pets.

Harry heard Percy shout something about 'school rules' and 'teachers' from the other side of the tangle of weeds but both boys ignored him, pushing their way through a particularly thick briar patch and into the Forbidden Forest. It was so dark beneath the canopy of leaves in the Forbidden Forest that Harry and Ron both had to light their wand tips before they could proceed.

They stood still, just inside the forest, squinting in the darkness in search of Cosmo or Scabbers. Harry had just about decided that there was no use in looking for Cosmo in the forest when Ron pointed straight ahead and said, "Look, over there."

Harry squinted in the direction Ron pointed and caught sight of Cosmo's collar reflecting their wand light. With a quick glance over his shoulder to see if Dean and Percy were following them, Harry pulled out a thorn that had stuck in his arm before once again diving into the undergrowth after his dog.

As Harry, Ron, Percy, and Dean followed Cosmo further into the Forbidden Forest, Harry wished that they were chasing the dog and rat down a proper path, he'd being stung by nettles in places he didn't want to think about and scratched by more brambles than he cared to count.

Through the small gaps between the leaves of the trees above Harry could see that they had less than an hour left of daylight. Deciding that if they were to actually find their way back to the school before the sun set Harry slowed. "I think... we're going to have to turn back." He said breathing deeply. "It'll be dark soon and I don't th-"

"Shh." Ron cut him off.

"What?" Harry hissed turning to look at Ron. "We're getting deeper into the forest and I know for a fact that Hagrid keeps Acromantula in here."

"Cosmo's slowed down." Ron whispered, pointing ahead to where Harry could still see the wand light reflected on Cosmo's collar.

Harry held his wand aloft and picked up his pace, stepping over a log and squinting ahead. He wondered what had brought Cosmo all the way out into the forest, he'd never known him to chase any kind of animal and it seemed extremely out of character for his dog to have chased a rat so deep into the Forbidden Forest.

"He's on the path." Ron whispered, forging on ahead of Harry.

Harry felt relieved at this revelation, at least now if they didn't catch their pets they would still have a way out of the forest. "Where's Scabbers?"

Ron stood on his tiptoes, now a metre away from the path as Cosmo stopped. "I c- aagh!"

Ron toppled backwards as Cosmo's entire body blurred and began to grow, changing from a dog to a human in seconds. Harry recognized the man, who moments before had been Cosmo, as Sirius Black.

_OOOOO_

Hermione sighed and neatly piled up her history notes, sliding them back into her folder in chronological order. She'd been revising for several hours since Harry had gone out and was pleased to say that she had successfully studied the first three topics that would be covered in the exam and only had one area left to look at.

Checking her watch, Hermione cast a Shrinking Charm on her history notes and, sliding them into the pocket of her robes, crossed the common room in search of Neville and Seamus.

She found Seamus curled up in the corner of one of the Gryffindor tower window ledges reading a book. Hermione walked across the room, perched on the edge of a table next to the window and glanced at the cover of the book Seamus was reading.

"'To Kill a Mockingbird', hmm?" She asked, sliding further onto the table and turning to face Seamus.

Seamus raised his eyes from the pages of his book to meet Hermione's. "It's a good book." He said, his tone almost defiant.

"I know it is," Hermione smiled as Seamus lowered his book, keeping his eyes fixed on Hermione. "And it's pleasant to see someone from your dormitory actually reading."

A small smiled formed on Seamus's lips as he put a scrap of parchment between the pages of his book and set it down on the window ledge next to him. "Weren't you shouting at Harry for reading just the other day?"

Hermione sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't start on that, Seamus, did you know Harry's begun confusing the events of the Goblin Wars with the events from 'The Hobbit'?" Seamus snorted and Hermione continued with a small smile. "What I should have said was that it's nice seeing one of you read for a reason that isn't getting out of homework or ignoring Professor Bins's lessons."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I suppose it helps that I actually do like reading." He turned on the window ledge, so that his back now pressed against the window instead of the wall, and crossed his legs. "It helps me forget... stuff."

Hermione nodded slowly, watching as Fred, George, and Lee left the common room for dinner, if she wasn't carful with what she said to Seamus now he could either end up shouting at, or refusing to talk to, her. "It's like a form of escapism, I suppose?" Hermione said tentatively, tapping her finger nervously on the table next to her.

Seamus laughed hollowly. "Well, it's better than my other option." Seamus shrugged and held up the book he'd been reading. "It's nice to get lost in someone else's problems for a while; even if they're not real."

Hermione licked her lips and nodded slowly, wishing that Harry were there, she wasn't sure what to say to coax Seamus into sharing his problems. It was easy with Harry, they shared everything and she knew him so well that even without the bond she could predict his actions, but with Seamus all it would take was one wrong word and he'd refuse to talk to her for a month.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and to her immense relief Seamus continued talking without prompt.

He tossed the book into the air and caught it. "I don't think that there's anything I could read that'd be worse than what I saw in... _that book,_ I bet there's plenty of books with more horrifying stuff but what makes the diary so much worse is that I saw people I know in there."

Seamus punched the window ledge in anguish. "I can't even count the number of times that I've gone to bed and dreamt of the night Mr. and Mrs. Potter were killed, it's bloody ridiculous, I wasn't even there!" Seamus smashed his fist into the window ledge again. "And Snape, bloody, bastarding Snape!"

Hermione sucked in a lungful of air through her clenched teeth, trying to stop herself from reprimanding him, as she watched Seamus punch the window ledge for a third time. She was certain that if he did that one more time he'd damage both his hand and the windowsill. Instead, she settled for nodding in what she hoped was an understanding way as she tried to keep herself from wincing as Seamus insulted one of her uncles.

"I've seen him do terrible things and I have to face him every day, seeing how much you and Harry trust him when I know everything he's done. And then there's Malfoy, I saw through You-Know-Who's eyes as Lucius fucking Malfoy," Hermione tried not to let her look of horror at Seamus's language show as he continued talking, "Imperiused a woman into cutting off her own hand." Seamus shivered and for a minute Hermione thought he was going to be sick. Seamus shook his head and continued, "She could still feel the pain, Hermione, she knew what she was doing, she could feel what she was doing but couldn't stop herself- all for being a Muggleborn, and Snape just stood there."

"Have- have you tried having an Obliviator wipe your memory?" Hermione asked quietly, unable to stop her voice quavering, appalled by what Seamus had seen.

Seamus snorted. "If it were that simple, Hermione, I'd be back to normal. Wouldn't even have to go to the Ministry, me mam's an Obliviator. They're there in me mind alongside all of my memories, it'd be impossible to untangle them."

Hermione watched as the last of the Gryffindors trailed out of the common room, leaving only herself, Seamus, and Neville; the latter was sitting in a corner shuffling a deck of cards and trying his hardest to ignore her and Seamus's conversation. She didn't want to look at Seamus, it felt wrong seeing him so frightened and mentally unguarded, like she was intruding on something too private for her eyes.

Finally, curiosity regained its control on her and she turned slowly back to Seamus, asking in little more than a whisper, "How m-many of his memories do you have?"

She half hoped that Seamus hadn't heard her, she wasn't sure that she actually wanted to know about Voldemort's innermost thoughts, some of the things he'd seen and done were too dreadful to even think about.

Several seconds passed and Seamus didn't answer, Hermione felt a wave of relief wash over her, which was immediately dashed when Seamus licked his lips and said, "I'm not sure, all of them I think, up until _that_ _night_."

Hermione didn't need Seamus to clarify which night he'd been referring to, they both knew he was talking about the night Harry's parents were killed.

At Seamus's revelation, a sudden idea hit her, an idea she was too terrified to voice. Watching Seamus wearily Hermione processed her idea, trying to decide how Seamus would react to it. He still looked tired, Harry had pointed out to her how he seemed to have permanent bags under his eyes and there was that unfocused look in his eyes, she remembered the name that Muggles had coined for a look like that, '_a thousand-yard stare'_.

Taking a deep calming breath, Hermione looked around the common room, trying to delay herself asking the question, in the long run, it would help Harry, but what worried Hermione was how much it could hurt Seamus.

Hermione took a second deep breath and Seamus glared at her. "Whatever you have to say just spit it out." He said irritably, sitting up on the windowsill.

"Can you... can you actually view the memories? Like in a pensive?" Hermione took another deep breath, wondering if the questions sounded as intrusive in real life as it did in her head. "I don't want to upset you, but I think that if you could remember... some things, it could help Harry."

Seamus sat stock-still for three seconds, four seconds, five seconds. The common room was so silent that Hermione could hear her heart beating; any second now Seamus would shout at her, maybe even hex her. She'd had to ask though, Harry might not have agreed, but then again he'd always been stupid when it came to his own safety.

"Yes," Seamus said slowly, nodding his head at Hermione "I think I could see his memories... the book showed me everything he saw."

"I know this is a big ask, the very last thing you'd want to do, but I really think it'd help Harry." Hermione said in a rush, trying to emphasize that Seamus didn't have to do what she was asking.

Seamus pursed his lips. "It could help Harry?" Seamus asked, pausing for Hermione to nod her head. "How?"

"Sirius Black... look, you mustn't tell him why I asked, but the truth is that I don't trust him to not go after Black. I imagine Voldemort set up headquarters somewhere and it's highly likely that Black will be there. Or you might be able to see how Black escaped Azkaban. Anything that'll help the Aurors capture Black before Harry gets himself killed on a stupid, misguided revenge mission."

"You think Harry really will go after Black?" Seamus asked, his voice once again low.

Hermione pressed her lips together in a thin line and nodded. "Yes, Black is the reason that his parents are dead, that's enough of a reason for him to want to go after him, but he's also got it into his head that Black's a danger to our family." Hermione chewed her lower lip. "I daren't tell him this, but I doubt that Harry could survive a duel against Black."

"Okay." Seamus nodded.

"What?"

"I'll try," Seamus smiled weakly. "We can't have the 'chosen one' killed by a traitorous git like Black."

Seamus shuffled as far back onto the window ledge as he could, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his entire body relax. His breathing turned ragged and Hermione could see his eyes moving jerkily beneath his eyelids. Seamus's arm moved down and he gripped the edge of the windowsill so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he began to shudder.

"Seamus!" Hermione shrieked and leapt to her feet, immediately putting a hand on Seamus's shoulder in an attempt to keep him still. "Seamus, wake up, Seamus." Hermione's voice got louder and higher as Seamus's convulsions became more and more violent.

Hermione felt Neville appear behind her as he put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" He asked, his eyes wide and terrified.

"I-I don't know." Hermione said, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears. "I think he's having a fit. I-I think w-we need Madam Pomfrey." She whispered, feeling tears begin to spill down her face. "I sh-shouldn't have asked him to d-do it."

Neville squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll get a teacher. Stay with him, okay?"

Hermione nodded and just as Neville turned to leave the common room, Seamus stilled, his breathing evened out, and his eyes fluttered open. "Oh, Merlin, bloody hell. Hermione, it wasn't Black." Seamus looked up at them, his hand still clutching tightly onto the windowsill and his eyes as wide and terrified as Neville's. "Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper he-" Seamus's voice cracked, "he betrayed the Potters and he's an Animagus... he could be anywhere."

Hermione let go of Seamus's shoulder and sniffed loudly, feeling slightly embarrassed for her reaction as she wiped here eyes on the tissue Neville offered. "We have to tell a professor, Severus or Charity."

Seamus shook his head. "There's no way in hell I'm going to Snape, we'll go to Remus, he knew Pettigrew and Black best."

Hermione nodded, still trying to avoid Seamus and Neville's eyes as she blew her nose loudly. "Right, I'll go get Harry's map and cloak, just in case we need them."

She turned and hurried upstairs, wrenching up the corner bottom of Harry's mattress and pulling the Marauder's Map and invisibility cloak out from beneath it. Stuffing both into a pocket of her robes, she turned and darted downstairs, arriving back in the common room in less than a minute.

The trio rushed out of the common room and down several flights of stairs to the Great Hall. Hermione, Neville and Seamus peeked around the door leading from the entrance hall into the Great Hall and looked up and down the staff table for Remus.

Seeing the staff table completely empty except for Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid the trio turned on their heels and without even stopping to check with one another darted up the closest staircase, heading for Remus's office.

As they neared the door to the office, Hermione slowed down as a wave of surprise followed by worry washed over her from Harry's mind. Harry's emotions threatened to engulf Hermione as she sped up, blinking rapidly to stay inside her own mind; it was now imperative that they find Remus and tell him about Peter Pettigrew, especially if something was happening with Harry.

Hermione slid to a halt next to Neville and Seamus who had already stopped at Remus's office door and were pounding their fists against the wood.

"Professor Lupin." Neville called into the wood of the door. "We need to talk to you, Professor, are you in there?"

"Shift out of the way, Neville." Seamus said pulling out his wand and nudging his friend out of the way.

"Seamus Finnegan, don't you dare!" Hermione hissed outraged at what Seamus was about to do. "You can't just break into a professor's office."

"We've got to tell him, Pettigrew's Animagus form is a rat, Hermione, he could be walking around the castle as we speak and Remus is the only one with any chance of recognising him." Seamus glared defiantly at her and pointed his wand at the lock of Remus's door. "_Alohomora_."

The door swung open and the three friends scurried inside, looking around for any sign of Remus. As she stepped into the office, Hermione felt another wave of worry from Harry and felt herself momentarily slip into his mind.

She was running through the Forbidden Forest, someone was running along behind her and she could see Cosmo running through the forest several metres ahead of her.

Blinking hurriedly, Hermione felt herself slip back into her own mind as she pulled Harry's map out of her pocket. Wincing, she said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Hermione scanned the map, eyes immediately drawn to the Forbidden Forest where she could see six tiny dots, labelled as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Percy Weasley, Dean Thomas and, to Hermione's horror, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, moving quickly away from the school.

"_Oh__,__ Merlin_." Neville gasped, horrified, staring out of Remus's office window, which looked out across the Quidditch pitch and at the Forbidden Forest.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, hurrying to the window and peering out over Neville's shoulder.

"Professor Lupin," Neville pointed, ashen-faced towards a shape hurrying across the grounds before disappearing into the Forbidden Forest. "It's a full moon." He said in a barely audible whisper.

"That's the least of our worries." Hermione said dismissively, turning away from the window and once again scanning the map in an attempt to work out where Pettigrew was leading Harry, Ron, Percy, Dean, and Black. "Severus makes Wolfsbane for him every month."

"Hermione," Neville said, his voice shaking slightly as he tugged on the sleeve of her robes.

"Neville, you killed a basilisk, you really don't need to worry about a drugged up werewolf." Hermione said, not taking her eyes of the map as she tried to formulate a plan.

"You're not listening to me." Neville hissed. "He _hasn't _taken the potion, so in about two hours there's going to be a dangerous werewolf running around the school grounds."

"What?" Hermione gasped, looking up from the map and feeling her heart freeze inside her chest. "He hasn't...?" She looked up at Neville and then down at the desk where Neville was looking. "The potion's still there." Hermione stated, staring at the goblet of potion on Remus's desk.

"You don't need to worry." Seamus said peering out of the window past his two friends. "There're enough creatures in the forest to entertain a werewolf for the night; he won't come near the castle."

"You don't understand." Hermione cried, holding out the map. "We've got to go now. They're all in massive danger! I don't think they even understand. I think I'd rather face the werewolf."

"What're you on about, Hermione?" Seamus asked, stepping away from the window and sitting on the edge of Remus's desk.

"Harry, Ron, Dean, and Percy are in the forest with Black and Pettigrew." She whispered, barely able to vocalize what she'd seen on the map. "They don't know that Black isn't the killer."

"What?" Seamus snapped snatching the map from Hermione and hurriedly scanning it. "You didn't think that it might be slightly important to tell us?" He asked his voice rising with every word.

"I-I was trying to work out a plan, I can't do a P-Patronus like Harry so we can't tell him that way and I'm not sure that we can go to Severus, I think he'd attack Black and ask questions later." Hermione whispered.

"Well you'd better have a bloody good plan." Seamus growled turning back to the window and looking outside as though he hoped he'd be able to see their friend's through the window.

"We need brooms, it's the only way we'll be able to catch them and then get out of the forest before the moon rises." Hermione glanced up at Neville who had moved next to Seamus to peer at the map and pursed her lips. "I can't think of another way, Neville and I aren't good on brooms, but we'd need three if we want to get everyone back out of the forest safely."

"Brooms." Neville repeated in horror.

Hermione nodded solemnly, understanding the look of horror on Neville's face. "Yes, I can't think of any other way to get to them."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Black, Harry was shocked to note, looked much healthier than he had on the wanted posters; whilst he was still somewhat underweight his face wasn't quite as gaunt as it had been, his hair was now shiny, and his skin, whilst pale, had lost the waxy corpse like quality it had appeared to have in the Daily Prophet. Harry realized with disgust that the reason Black looked so well was because he and Hermione had taken him in, they'd fed him, cleaned him, and given him a place to live.

Black turned, looking at Harry and lunged at them, snatching Dean's wand from his hand and pointing it at Harry, Ron, and Percy in turn. "_Expelliarmus, Expelliarmus, Expelliarmus._" He then turned Dean's wand away from the four boys, into the forest, and roared. "_Stupefy._"

Harry, horrified by the appearance of the man who had all but killed his parents was too stunned to react as the Disarming spell hit him and his wand flew from his grip and into Black's outstretched hand.

"Harry, you shouldn't have followed me." Black chastened in the same tone Aunt Petunia would use to tell him off if he snacked before dinner. "It was very brave of you, but silly; you never know what dangers are lurking in the Forbidden Forest."

Harry snorted in disgust. "Dangers? You mean other than the bastard who got my parents killed?"

Black shook his head slowly. "I never meant for that to happen, if I'd known his plan I'd have never-"

Harry's almost manic laugh cut Black off. "You never meant for it to happen? What did you bloody well expect? Don't lie to me, Black, I know about the prophecy; we know why Voldemort wanted to kill me. I know far more than you give me credit for, but what I don't understand, Black, what I can't get my bloody head around is why _you _did it. My parents loved you!"

Harry took a step forward, feeling anger bubbling in his chest; he didn't need a wand, he didn't need to be armed to kill Sirius Black. Harry tilted his head to the side, forcing himself to smile at Black as he took another step forwards. "So how did a slimy git like you ever manage to get sorted into Gryffindor?"

Black exhaled, a small smirk playing on his lips. "'_Slimy git'_, that was one of your father's favourite nicknames for old Snape when we were at school."

"Don't you dare," Harry hissed. "Don't taunt me, Black!"

Black shook his head. "I'm not taunting you, Harry, just go back up to the castle. I've got something I need to deal with and I don't want you to see what I'm going to do."

"Ah, yes, the mass murdering psychopath wants to protect the innocence of the boy who he made an orphan." Harry said, his hands shaking in anger.

"Harry," Dean whispered, putting a restraining hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't taunt him."

Harry shrugged Dean's hand away and took another small step forwards, bringing him less than a meter away from Black. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at Black with loathing.

"When you do try to kill me, I suggest that you take your master's approach; whilst admittedly your bitch of a cousin's method is usually successful, it's pretty time consuming and we've got to think of time management. I mean, if you finish us off quickly you could pop up to the castle and kill Remus, you know, and then you'd be able to say you killed all of the Marauders."

"There's only one Marauder I'm interested in killing, Harry." Black said, frowning down at Harry.

"Well then I'd better warn Remus, hadn't I?" Harry dived at Black, colliding with him before Black even realized Harry had moved.

Wrenching his wand out of Black's hand, Harry pointed in what he hoped was the direction of the castle, thought of his family and roared. "_Expecto Patronum._"

The silvery stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped away down the path. Watching his Patronus vanish into the forest, Harry didn't notice that Black had moved until Harry felt him collide with him and his wand leave his hand.

Harry tumbled over the root of a tree and, hitting his head on a nearby tree stump, landed on the forest floor with a thud. Twisting onto his side Harry winced at the sharp pain in the back of his head and looked up to see Percy launch himself over Harry and collide with Black. Dazed, Harry sat up and watched as Percy crashed his fist into the side of Black's face.

Black jerked backwards as Percy advanced on him, fists raised and eyes glittering fiercely. He moved his arms up to protect his face and Percy, seeming to misunderstand Black's movements, landed a second blow on his chest.

Harry tried to stand up but felt dizziness wash over him. He could hear Black breathing heavily, even over the sounds of Ron and Dean roaring insults at Black and encouragement at Percy.

Black, stumbling backwards from the force of Percy's blow, fell against a nearby tree and Harry watched in surprise as Percy wrenched the four wands from Black's grip and took a step back. Not taking his eyes from Black, Percy trained his wand on the other man and held the other three wands out to Ron who had moved to stand next to his brother.

"Don't move." Percy panted, his eyes still on Black.

Glancing between his brother and Black, Ron took the three wands from Percy and passed the first to Dean before holding a hand out to help a still dazed Harry to his feet and handing him his wand.

Harry blinked twice and took a step forward, trying to steady his wand as he pointed it at Black.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" Black whispered.

"It's nothing worse than you deserve." Harry spat, blinking rapidly to stop the world from becoming blurred.

"I don't deny that what happened to your parents was my fault," Black said levelly. "But you may want to hear the whole story before you act rashly."

Harry shook his head, swaying on the spot and glowered at Black. "I already know the story, Black; you sold my parents to Voldemort."

Percy placed a steadying hand on his shoulder and Harry felt his swaying immediately cease. Harry blinked rapidly as bright lights floated in front of his eyes. There was something very wrong with him. Harry tried to remember whether Black had had the chance to curse him when he'd been in possession of the three wands.

Unable to recall anything, Harry rested a hand on Ron's shoulder and tried to steady himself between the two Weasley brothers as he glared blearily at Black.

Harry sucked in a deep breath, trying to steel himself for what he was about to do. Raising his wand, Harry reminded himself of everything Black had done, he'd betrayed his parents and murdered Peter Pettigrew and thirteen other Muggles. Harry told himself that that was more than enough to warrant death, and yet he couldn't bring himself to say the two words that had ended countless other wizards' lives. _Two words,_ Harry thought furiously, all he needed to do was say those two words and he could avenge his mother and father. Two words, that's all it would take to end Black's life.

Harry lowered his wand, shaking his head furiously; he was being weak, too weak to kill the man that had left him an orphan, but there was a small, traitorous part of his mind telling him that it would be wrong to kill Black in cold blood.

"I can't do it." Harry shook his head again, mentally berating himself for his weakness. "I can't kill him." He looked from Ron to Percy and then around to Dean. "I'm not going to kill you, Black, you can go back to Azkaban, even though it's far more than a traitorous git like you deserves."

"I can't go back to Azkaban." Black whispered hoarsely. "Not now, not when I'm so close."

Percy took a step forward, still keeping one hand on Harry's shoulder and glared at Black. "You can come quietly or we'll take you to the dementors by force. We may not have been trained by You-Know-Who, but we are armed and you are not. I am confident that we can subdue you."

"You don't understand." Black roared in frustration. "I need the rat. You can take me when I've found the rat."

Percy glanced back at the three younger boys and nodded. "Then you leave us no choice, Black, you're a danger to my family and friends and, therefore, I will ensure you are returned to the custody of the dementors."

As Percy raised his wand to stun Black, there was a loud crash from behind the four boys. Harry heard a familiar voice roar '_Expelliarmus' _and for the third time he felt his wand leave his grip.

Harry spun around and, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him, watched as a blurry Remus tumbled out of the undergrowth holding Harry, Ron, Dean, and Percy's wands.

"_Where is he, Sirius?"_ Remus asked in a tense voice. "I saw the two of you run into the forest."

"How?" Black blinked, and a relieved smile creeping over his face said. "Ah, werewolf vision."

"It's nice to see you again, Padfoot." Remus smiled tightly and added, "Despite the fact that you switched without telling me."

"I'm sorry, Moony." Black said, striding forward and pulling Remus into a tight embrace. "We thought it was you, _he_ promised the werewolves that he was developing a cure, we all agreed that we'd forgive you anyway."

Remus snorted. "Well, that's great, I suppose, you and James were so caught up pitying me that you completely forgot about Pete."

Black's face twisted in disgust. "We could understand why you'd do it, you've suffered all your life and we'd have gone to the ends of the earth to help you with your furry little problem. But _him,_ there's no excuse."

Remus looked around. "I don't see him, have you done it already?"

Harry watched the two men in confusion, a cold feeling sweeping over him as he came to the realization that Remus must be in league with Black.

"Remus," Harry said sharply, "what's going on? You're not- you're not... How could you?"

Harry glared up at Remus, feeling more betrayed than he had when hearing about what Black had done. He trusted Remus, trusted him to enough meet his family, he was his only remaining link to his father.

"Harry, please." Remus pleaded, turning to Harry.

"No!" Harry roared, his head pounding and entire body shaking with fury. "No, I trusted you, _I trusted you_, you were my dad's friend, you were _my_ friend." Horrified, Harry felt his eyes sting as tears began to leak down his face.

Harry balled his hands into fists and tried to launch himself at Remus but felt Percy's arms wrap around his middle. "Harry, no." Percy whispered urgently in his ear. "You're unarmed; you're going to get yourself killed."

Harry tried to fight against Percy's hold on him. "No, I'll kill _him_, the bastard. I don't need a wand; I'll rip him to pieces."

"Harry, listen, you don't understand." Remus shouted, trying to make his voice heard over the combined voices of Harry, Ron, and Dean who were roaring an unintelligible mix of curses and insults at Remus and Sirius.

"I understand more than enough." Harry roared, putting a hand on his head to stop its violent pounding.

Percy loosened his hold around Harry's waist, without letting him go, and glowered at Remus, Harry was amazed at how, despite being completely unarmed and facing a mass murderer and a werewolf, Percy's tone remained stern and commanding.

"Explain, then. Harry has the right to know your justification for betraying your best friends before we hand you over to the dementors." Percy said, his voice heavy with disgust.

"And how exactly do you intend on taking us to the dementors?" Black asked. "Take Harry back to the castle and let me do what I need to, I'll hand myself in after that."

"You'll hand yourself in?" Remus repeated in incredulity.

"I still have to pay for what happened to Lily and James."

"Oh, shut up, Padfoot." Remus glared at Black in annoyance. "You can let Harry decide once we've explained everything to him."

"You might as well hand yourselves in now." Harry growled, still straining against Percy's hold on him. "You've been helping him all along; I won't believe a single thing you say."

_"I have not been helping Sirius," _said Remus.

"So how did you know he was here, if you haven't been helping him?" Harry asked, his tone mocking as he glowered at Remus.

"I watched from my office window. I saw Sirius chase Peter from the Quidditch pitch and into the forest. At first I could hardly believe my eyes, but there was no way I could've mistaken them, why else would Sirius have chased the rat?"

Harry frowned up at Remus, trying to make sense of what he was telling him. His head was pounding more than ever and Harry could barely process Remus's words over the pain. He could feel drowsiness wash over him and was grateful when Ron finally voiced the question that Harry had been trying to form in his mind.

"What in the name of Merlin is that supposed to mean?"

"Your rat, Ron, isn't a rat; he's an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew." Remus said quietly.

_"You're both mental." _Ron said faintly. "He's a rat, that's it, nothing special."

"Pettigrew's dead." Dean said, looking between Black and Remus. "You killed him twelve years ago."

_"I meant to," Black growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me… not this time, though!"_

There was a loud crash in the trees above and Harry looked up to see Hermione, riding a broom, smash her way through the canopy of trees and land in a heap on the path between Ron and Percy.

"Harry," Hermione leapt to her feet, "it wasn't Black-"

She was cut off by another loud crash as Neville and Seamus smashed through the trees, Neville hurtled to the ground, landing with a loud thud and Seamus touched down gracefully beside him and pulled him to his feet.

She looked around and gasped. "You know? We have to go to Dumbledore immediately. Mr. Black," she turned to Black, smiling politely and said, "I'm assuming you're also an animagus."

Black, taken aback by how politely Hermione addressed him, nodded dumbly.

"Well, you're going to have to transform yourself back to animal form. We need to get back to the castle as quickly as possible and you can't be seen by anyone- not whilst you're still a wanted criminal."

"_Hermione, _what the hell are you on about?" Ron asked rudely, taking a step forward.

"What do you mean, what am I on about? Aren't I talking English?" Hermione snapped turning to face Ron. "The forest is dangerous and we need to take Mr. Black up to the castle so he can tell Professor Dumbledore what really happened with Harry's parents and clear his name."

"Yeah, I heard that." Ron said glowering at Hermione. "What I meant to ask was have you gone mental? Black's a murder and you're just talking to him as if he's a professor or something."

"Yes, well, manners cost nothing, so maybe you should use them." Hermione said snippily, repeating one of Aunt Petunia's favourite sayings.

"I'm not being polite to that git." Ron said, waving his hand angrily in Black's direction. "And frankly Hermione I'm amazed your being so polite after everything he's done to Harry."

"But he's innocent." Neville protested looking worriedly between Ron and Hermione. "Didn't you already know that?"

Harry stared at Neville in shock; his headache had escalated to a point where he was actually hearing things. If Harry hadn't known better he would have sworn that Neville and Hermione were protesting that Black hadn't actually done the crime for which he'd served twelve years in Azkaban.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" Harry asked, still staring at Neville in confusion.

"Black wasn't your parent's Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was." Neville said slowly looking from Harry, to Percy, and then across at Ron and Dean.

Harry blinked, trying to process what Neville was telling him, it matched almost perfectly with Remus and Black's story but it could hardly be true, there had been witnesses who had seen Pettigrew killed. Maybe Remus had confunded his friends before he'd come out into the forest to meet Black.

Harry reached out through the bond to Hermione, feeling for any sign that someone had tampered with her mind. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Harry tried to pull himself deeper into Hermione's mind but was pulled back painfully into his body by a sharp pain in the back of his head where he'd bumped it earlier.

Harry reached a hand back to touch the spot where he'd felt the shooting pain. He vaguely registered that the back of his head was slightly damp and sticky. Pressing his hand against the wetness Harry felt another sharp jolt in the back of his head and quickly brought his hand away.

The forest seemed to be getting darker and darker, and Harry was certain that he was now looking at two Hermione's rather than just one. Everything seemed to grow darker, ahead of him he could see Neville's mouth opening and closing as though he was talking but all Harry could hear was a loud rining in his ears.

Harry tried to take a deep breath, as the darkness closed in on him, and felt his legs give way beneath him. He slumped forward, feeling his strength leave him as he lost consciousness.

_OOOOO_

Harry groaned, his entire body felt as heavy as lead and his head was throbbing so much that he was certain that if he were to move it would explode. Harry shifted, trying to alleviate some of the pain in his limbs.

Through the bond he could feel the soft glow of Hermione sitting near him, she knew he was waking up. Somewhere to his left he could hear Ron and Percy having a hissed argument about how Ron was 'breathing in an irritating way'.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, he could sense her moving closer to him, the sound of her voice making his head pound harder still. "Harry, are you all right?" She asked softly, her hand reaching out and wrapping around his wrist.

He groaned again as Hermione squeezed his hand lightly, a surge of warmth flowing from where Hermione's hand touched his wrist up his arm and into his body. The heavy pounding in his head slowly receded and Harry blinked, light stinging his eyes as the hospital wing slowly came into focus. He tried to sit up, looking around for his glasses but felt Hermione's other hand press gently against his chest.

"Don't try and sit up Harry, Madam Pomfrey will want to see you before you try anything." Hermione said gently, and, reading Harry's thoughts through the bond, she picked up his glasses from the nightstand and handed them to him. "You haven't been out long, when Professor Dumbledore and Severus have finished interrogating... _Cosmo_ I'll ask about breaking you out early."

"What happened after I...?"

Harry paused and Ron, grinning down at Harry in a mixture of relief and amusement, said, "After you were concussed by an _evil_ tree, we can pretend it was the Whomping Willow if you want, mate -you know, to make it less embarrassing for you."

Dean, who was standing at the foot of Harry's bed with Seamus and Neville, snorted. "You'd think a ballerina would be more graceful."

Harry groaned again and shuffled his body further up the bed so that he'd have a better view of his friends. "Okay, so I was attacked by a villainous Death Eater tree and then my pet dog turned out to be _the most_ wanted _mass murderer_ who hadn't actually killed anyone. Instead, Peter Pettigrew betrayed my parents and, like Black, has also spent the year hiding out in the castle."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron and Percy wince, he rolled over slightly in his bed and frowned up at the two Weasely brothers. "What? I might have got some facts wrong but even concussed I couldn't have made all that up." Harry said hoping dearly, for the sake of his sanity, that he had remembered the events in the Forbidden Forrest correctly.

"It's not that, mate, it's just that you're not the only one who's been keeping an animagus for a pet, just be thankful it was only for one year, we've had Scabbers for twelve." Ron said, gesturing between himself and his brother.

"Scabbers?" Harry asked slowly, his brain still somewhat sluggish from being knocked out. "Wait, he was an animagus too?"

"Yeah," Ron chuckled darkly and glanced up at his older brother, "do you reckon adding 'harbouring evil git Peter Pettigrew for twelve years' to the 'accomplishments' section of your Auror application would decrease your chances of being selected?"

"You're kidding, Scabbers? The bastard, I used to feed him my leftover Christmas liquorice from Granny Granger." Harry hissed, feeling a strange sense of betrayal at what Scabbers had done.

"You hate liquorice." Hermione pointed out.

"I could have given it to Seamus, Seamus loves liquorice but I thought Ron's rat was more deserving of my generosity and now it turns out that he wasn't even a real rat, bloody hell! What else did I miss? Let me guess, next you're going to tell me that Hedwig is actually Morganna and Hiss is the Queen of bloody England." Harry threw his arms up in fury.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Harry." Hermione chastised rolling her eyes. "If you don't keep your voice down we're going to be kicked out, so calm down, keep your mouth closed, and let us explain what happened."

Harry sighed and nodded, silently miming zipping his mouth closed as Hermione once again rolled her eyes.

Hermione glanced from Neville to Seamus and frowned. "Seamus, do you want to explain the first bit, you know, about how we worked out that Pettigrew was the traitor."

Seamus glared accusingly at Hermione as though he felt it was unfair that she was trying to make him explain. Harry tried to reach through the bond to find out why both Hermione and Seamus appeared to be reluctant to explain to him about Peter Pettigrew but found that Hermione was somehow shielding her memories from him. Glowering up at Hermione he gave her a swift, mental shove as he returned fully to his own mind.

"I'll not talk about _how_ yet." Harry turned to Seamus who had begun talking at the same time as Hermione had shot Harry a withering look and released his hand. "If we talk about that then you'll get yourself worked up and then Madam Pomfrey will come in here and skin the lot of us."

Harry opened his mouth to demand that his friends tell him every detail about what he had missed but Seamus held up a hand and shook his head. "I won't tell you, so don't bother asking. Anyway, _after_ I realized that Pettigrew was the one who, y'know, betrayed your parents we went to tell Remus, he wasn't there and Hermione saw on the Marauder's Map that you, Ron, Dean, and Percy were all in the forest with Black and Pettigrew. So she suggested using brooms to follow you, which thinking back on it was kind of mental, she almost flew right into a tree because she was concentrating on finding you, and Neville almost fell off his.

"_After_ you were knocked out by the 'villainous Death Eater tree' Black kind of went mental and Accioed Scabbers who had been stunned just a few meters away from the path. When he had Scabbers in his hand he did some kind of spell that made him transform back to a human. Hermione tried to persuade Black not to kill Scabbers by suggesting that we turn him in instead so that Black'd be free, but that's when the moon rose and Remus started to change. Obviously, we chose not to hang about in the forest after that, Black grabbed you and your Firebolt and we kind of followed his lead. When we were clear of the forest Black handed you over to me and then turned back into Cosmo. We brought you up to the castle and Pomfrey called Dumbledore to the hospital wing, he checked that you were all right, asked Hermione a couple of questions, then Snape appeared, tried to kill Black, and then Dumbledore ordered both of them to go to his office."

"_You_ carried me all the way to the castle?" Harry asked Seamus in amazement, he wasn't a particularly heavy person, especially in comparison to his brother, but Seamus was smaller than Harry and would have had to walk up an entire flight of stairs to get there.

Seamus shrugged. "We kind of thought that it'd look bad if Percy carried you in, everyone's seen you both duelling and if someone saw you everyone in the school would probably believe that the Headboy attacked 'the boy who lived'."

Harry nodded in agreement, rumours, especially those concerning Harry, seemed to spread around the school in a matter of hours. "And what about _you_?" Harry asked turning to look up at Hermione. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I felt _faint _with worry when you collapsed but I'm feeling much better now." She said raising her eyebrows to indicate to Harry that her faintness had had more to do with the fact that Harry had knocked himself out rather than worry.

Harry smiled. "Good."

Harry couldn't imagine what he'd tell his friends if he and Hermione had just happened to collapse at the exact same time. They could have maybe made up some kind of excuse for he and Hermione collapsing together but something like that could easily make their friends suspicious. What if they realized that Hermione had managed to locate Harry in the middle of the forest with no help or that Harry had only managed to produce his first Patronus after holding Hermione's hand? They'd been so careful up until this point and now that Pettigrew was once again on the loose it wouldn't be good to let anyone, who didn't need to, know about their secrets.

Harry sat up, too quickly for Hermione to stop him, as a sudden terrible thought came to him. "He knows, the bloody git must know."

He flung his bed sheets off and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, Black definitely knew about the bond, he could remember several occasions when he and Hermione had mentioned it in front of the dog, surely that would mean there was a chance of Pettigrew knowing too.

"We never imagined that Scabbers was actually a Death Eater, I mean, you don't tend to avoid talking about secrets in the company of animals." Harry said shakily as he tried to push himself out of the bed.

"That is of course if You-Know-Who doesn't already know." Seamus spat, his voice heavy with disgust.

"What?" Harry asked, a shiver ran through his body and Harry twisted to look at Seamus who was frowning in distaste, he couldn't understand how Seamus could know his secret. Harry glanced around his bed at his friends, all of whom appeared to be scowling at Seamus in annoyance. Harry couldn't understand, had they all known about the bond?

"Well, what proof do you really have that Snape is no longer a Death Eater?" Seamus asked after a long pause.

Harry shook his head. "No, Severus isn't a Death Eater." Harry pushed himself out of the bed and blinked as a wave of dizziness washed over him. "I get that what you saw in that diary was dreadful, but Sev's changed, he's a good person and you need to get over your stupid prejudice against him."

"He's not as good a bloke as you like to think." Seamus hissed, clutching the foot of Harry's bed. "If you knew half of what he's done you wouldn't be as quick to trust him."

Putting a hand on his bedside table to steady himself, Harry glowered at his friend and snapped, "Don't be such a dick, Seamus. If you knew anything about Severus-"

Seamus snorted. "If I knew anything about him?" He repeated in disbelief. "_I've _seen him do terrible things; I've seen him torture people, seen him kill, and I saw him..." Seamus trailed of uncertainly and glanced around the Hospital Wing.

"Yeah?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow. "What did you see him do?"

Seamus shook his head in disbelief. "What, murder and torture aren't enough for you? He's a _murderer_!"

"We were at war; he did what he had to." Harry said, shaking his head; he couldn't expect Seamus to understand. Whilst Seamus had seen the war from Voldemort's perspective, Harry had heard the stories of it from Severus and had fought Death Eaters on several occasions.

"Oh, so he _had_ to tell You-Know-Who the prophecy, did he?" Seamus slapped a hand over his mouth and lowered his eyes, looking guiltily down at the floor.

"You don't understand what you're talking about." Harry hissed as he pushed his glasses onto his face and sat back down on his bed to put his shoes on.

"You knew?" Seamus asked raising his eyebrows in incredulity and letting his hand fall to his side. "You knew and you still trust him?"

"Of course I know, he told me at the end of first year, you might not like Sev but do you really think he's so much of a bastard that he'd keep something like that from me?" Harry glared at Seamus and then around at his friends who were watching the exchange with a mixture of uncertainty, worry, and curiosity on their faces.

Harry sighed and lifting his foot to tie his laces twisted on the bed to properly face Seamus. "Look, the first thing you don't realize is that he told Voldemort _before_ he became a double agent. The prophecy is what made him see that the Death Eaters had it wrong. The next thing you don't understand is that he didn't hear all of the prophecy, he had no idea what he was telling Voldemort."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make what he did any better."

"It might not, but Severus truly regrets telling Voldemort. He's blamed himself for what happened to my parents since the night it happened. He didn't tell us about the whole Secret Keeper thing; instead he let me believe that he was solely responsible for the deaths of my parents. Voldemort's the one to blame," Harry said firmly as he locked eyes with Seamus.

"Yeah, because you were so quick to forgive Black when you thought he was the traitor." Seamus shook his head in disappointment. "You're being a hypocrite."

"Oh for fu-" Harry felt a sharp jab through the bond as Hermione reprimanded him for his language, shooting her a quick glance he rolled his eyes and back pedalled. "For _flip's_ sake, you can't honestly be comparing what Pettigrew did to Severus telling Voldemort the prophecy; Severus didn't realize what impact the prophecy would have. It was an _accident, _admittedly an accident that resulted in the loss of several lives, but an accident nonetheless. Pettigrew chose to betray his best friends and frame another one for murder; he _chose_ to kill twelve innocent Muggles."

Harry hopped down from the bed and shoved his wand into the breast pocked of his pyjama shirt and turned to face the five boys crowded around his vacated bed. "Severus is a good person, I'd trust him with my life and if you trust me you'd trust my judgement."

"Where're you going?" Neville asked uncertainly, taking a step towards him.

"I need to speak to Dumbledore, Severus, and Black about Pettigrew." Harry said as he began walking towards the door.

"Harry, you've had a serious injury, it's not safe for you to leave the hospital wing until Madam Pomfrey discharges you." Percy said, taking a step forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Harry shook his head as he turned and looked up at Percy. "I'm not waiting, it's highly possible that Pettigrew will rejoin Voldemort, we've got to act fast."

"Just sit down for a second whilst I alert Madam Pomfrey." Percy said, taking a step backwards and frowned disapprovingly as Harry shook his head and once again made his way towards the exit.

Harry neared the double doors as an arm wrapped around his middle and lifted him from the ground.

"Let me go." Harry roared, beating his hands against Percy's arms.

"Sorry, Harry, but you can't just wander about the castle at this time of night, especially not when you're still concussed." Percy said as he neared the hospital bed and dropped Harry onto it.

"That's not fair." Harry crossed his arms as he landed on the soft mattress, suddenly he felt very much like a young child being scolded by a parent. "I _need_ to get to Dumbledore's office as soon as possible."

"You _need_ to wait until Madam Pomfrey discharges you." Hermione scolded as she took Harry's wand from his breast pocket.

"But Pettigrew!" Harry protested, glowering at Percy. It was, of course, Percy's fault that everyone was treating him like an invalid, now that they had a seventh year with them Harry was no longer the unofficial leader of the group and so, rather than allowing him to forge on with his plans, they were standing around questioning how sensible they were.

"I don't think we have to worry about Pettigrew knowing about your secrets." Percy said, still standing next to Harry as though he believed he would make another break for freedom.

"And why is that?" Harry asked sitting up as straight as he could in the bed. Harry couldn't help smiling to himself as he saw Percy frown at him; if they wouldn't let him leave the bed then he was going to do everything he could do to annoy them.

"Well, I imagine you're wondering why, despite the fact that he spent the year sharing your dormitory, Black never found Pettigrew until tonight." Percy said.

Harry frowned as he crossed his legs, ensuring that Percy and Hermione could see that he was still wearing his trainers in bed. He hadn't been wondering about that at all, in fact it hadn't occurred to him that, as they were sharing a dormitory, Black _should_ have caught Pettigrew within the first week of term.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I _was_ wondering that actually." He lied, refusing to look at Hermione who he could feel frowning at him through the bond

"Well, it seems that Black believed that Scabbers was my rat, and whilst three years ago that might have been true it appears to have seriously impeded Black's progress in catching Pettigrew as he spent the year tailing me." Said Percy.

"But why would he believe that?" Harry asked.

Percy reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper. Laying it out flat on the end of Harry's bed, Percy carefully unfolded the sheet of paper which Harry could now see was a worn page from the Daily Prophet.

Percy turned the page and Harry leant forward for a closer look. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he immediately recognized the newspaper page. It had been written the previous year and Harry was both surprised and saddened by the fact that Percy appeared to have been carrying it around with him since it had been published.

This newspaper, Harry remembered, had come out just as the students were sent home from school. The page Percy had kept had been the front page of the Prophet and had been largely dominated by a full colour photograph of Percy and Penelope Clearwater, walking hand in hand across the school grounds.

For a second Harry couldn't understand why Percy was showing him the page but then, as Percy moved to kiss Penelope, Harry caught sight of Scabbers, half hanging out of left hand pocket of Percy's robes.

"Oh." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say as Percy lovingly folded up the page and slipped it back into his pocket. "I can, uh, see why he made that mistake." Harry said clearing his throat as Neville, Dean, and Seamus pretended to be engrossed in a conversation about Gobstones.

Percy sat down on the edge of the bed and Harry had to shuffle over to his left to make room next to him.

"Have you thought about what you're going to say to Sirius when you see him?" Percy asked, leaning forward so that he could properly survey Harry.

Harry settled against the headboard and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he's been living with you for almost a year now and for that year you've believed that he's a dog, that's rather a big deal." Percy unconsciously patted the pocket where he kept his picture of Penelope and Harry pursed his lips.

"I'm not sure, if what he told you is the truth then I suppose I don't really have any reason to mistrust him, I mean he spent a year as a dog trying to capture the man who betrayed my parents; you can't exactly say he's not loyal." Harry shrugged and chewed on his lower lip. "I'll definitely have to speak to him, I mean there are some worrying things, some secrets he probably knows about and the fact that he spent almost every night at Hogwarts sleeping at the foot of Seamus's bed but I'll just have to let him tell me about it. I can't really make any decisions until I've had a conversation with him without one of us pointing a wand at the other."

Percy crossed his ankles and frowned as he leaned back against the headboard. "But you _are_ going to speak to him?"

Harry let out a small snort of laughter at Percy's expression. "Why do I get the impression that you don't approve?"

"Well..." Percy paused, licking his lips as though he was looking for the right words to express his misgivings. "I'd be cautious about him if I were you; you have to ask yourself why he didn't let you know who he was as soon as you met him."

Harry tilted his head to the left and frowned, he hadn't really thought about that but the answer seemed so obvious to him that Harry didn't even have to think about it before he spoke again. "Because it was safer for both of us and it gave Black the element of surprise against Scabbers. Really, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense; why have more people than necessary know the secret? Black needed us to not know he was in the castle to get to Scabbers and he couldn't risk us knowing because then the secret could get out."

"I'm not sure that I agree with you, Harry." Percy frowned, his face creased with worry. "Surely Sirius's primary concern should be _you_ rather than his revenge against Pettigrew? And the lies, if Black's intention was to protect you from potential harm then why would he lie to you, why would you keep a secret so important from someone you care about, surely in the long run that'll do more damage than good?"

Harry inhaled sharply and attempted to run a hand through his hair, which along with the back of his head had been bandaged up tightly by Madam Pomfrey. Percy didn't know anything about the bond; Harry was certain of it, but the way he talked about lying made Harry feel almost ill.

"Maybe I'm mental but I can kind of see Black's point. He blames himself for what happened to my mum and dad and, to him, the only way he can make it right is through punishing Pettigrew for his betrayal." Percy opened his mouth to say something but Harry held up a hand to silence him. "It's not exactly rational but it makes sense, I could see myself feeling the same. I suppose if he blames himself then he might also find it difficult to face me since my parents' deaths were sort of the result of his mistake. And the lies, well... sometimes you need to lie to the people you care about."

Percy shook his head. "Maybe you're more forgiving than me but even if he hadn't turned out to be a murderer I'm not sure that I would be able to forgive Pettigrew for being Scabbers for so long."

"It's different, Black's my godfather, I have to try and speak to him. He's one of the last links to my parents I have, I only really have him and Remus who actually knew my father, my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Severus kind of hated him."

Percy squeezed Harry's shoulder lightly and smiled down at him. "Well, then, I hope, for your sake, that Black does the right thing by you this time."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, so do I, Perce, I _really_ hope it all turns out all right."

When Harry and Hermione were called up to Professor Dumbledore's office sometime later they were met by Severus and Sirius who had taken seats in front of Dumbledore's desk as far from one another as Harry imagined possible.

Once Harry and Hermione had, to the best of their abilities, explained what had happened in the Forbidden Forest, Harry told Dumbledore how he feared that in his time in the boy's dormitory Pettigrew might have learnt some of Harry's secrets. Fortunately, according to Severus and Dumbledore, Harry had nothing to worry about as Severus was fairly certain that, if Voldemort did ever return, he was good enough at Occlumensy to allow Voldemort to believe that he had been acting as a double agent all along. As for the soul bond, Sirius said that, from what he'd heard whilst living in the third year boy's dormitories, Harry and Hermione had been wary enough whilst talking about their bond that it was unlikely that Pettigrew had heard anything.

After a lengthy time speaking, and pleading, with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in Dumbledore's fire Harry managed to persuade Aunt Petunia to allow Sirius to stay with them at the Terrace until they could clear his name.

_OOOOO_

The remainder of the school term passed rather uneventfully and before Harry knew it, he and his friends were packing their trunks and boarding the Hogwarts Express to go home for the summer.

The train had just pulled out of Hogsmead station when Percy burst into the compartment Harry was sharing with Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Neville, Dean and Sirius, waving a sheet of parchment wildly above his head.

"I got in!" Percy roared, beaming as he grabbed Ron and Harry, crushing them together in a tight hug. "I just got the owl, I got in; I'm going to be an Auror!"

Rubbing his head from where it had collided with Harry's, Ron took a step back, grinning almost as widely as his brother. "Wow, Mum's going to be ecstatic when she hears. An Auror, _blimey_, that's brilliant Perce, Merlin knows you've worked hard enough. We should have a party, right now; I'll go get Fred, George, and Gin."

As Ron hurried out of the compartment, Percy turned to Harry and, unable to contain his excitement, pulled him into another hug. Harry blinked up at Percy in amusement as the older boy released him, as a general rule Percy wasn't fond of physical contact so to receive two hugs from Percy in a week, never mind in five minutes, was nothing short of a miracle.

"You know, I couldn't have done it without you, Harry, if there's anything I can do for you, absolutely anything, then don't hesitate to ask." Percy said, his voice increasing in pitch as he became more and more excited.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets Harry blushed, there was nothing that embarrassed Harry more than being thanked or praised for something that he didn't really do. "I had nothing to do with it, mate, it was all you. An Auror though, well that's just... wow, you're the best of the best now, Perce. When d'you start?"

"The day after tomorrow." Percy answered promptly as he handed his letter over for Hermione to read.

"So soon? But you've just finished school." Dean said as Hermione handed him the letter.

Percy shrugged beginning to pace the compartment, his entire body shaking with excitement. "They want dedication; I'm the first person to be accepted in three years; since that Metamorphmagus, Tonks I think her name is, joined."

Harry laughed as, wagging his tail, Sirius stood on his hind legs and licked Percy across the face. Percy grimaced and backed away from the giant black dog.

"You're going to make a great Auror, Perce," Harry said, patting Percy on the shoulder as he and Neville attempted to back him into one of the seats to stop his manic pacing. "I know he turned out to be pretty cool in the end but when you punched Sirius, well it was kind of awesome, and a bit scary... but mostly awesome."

Sirius made a strange huffing noise as he curled up onto a seat next to Dean his expression unidentifiable as a dog.

Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Lee Jordan arrived in the compartment several minutes later, bringing with them a crate of butterbeer and three backpacks filled with sweets cakes and pasties.

Whilst the twins and Ginny overenthusiastically congratulated Percy on his acceptance onto the Auror programme, Harry picked up a package Hermione had neatly wrapped for him the night before and leant over to where Hermione and Seamus were sitting, trying to avoid being hit by one of Fred and George's over exuberant hand gestures.

"I'm just going to give this to Cedric, I'll be back in a bit." Shuffling between Lee and Ron, Harry slid out through the compartment door.

Harry bumped into Oliver Wood almost as soon as he stepped out of the compartment. Harry stumbled backwards and Wood caught him by the upper arm, heaving him onto his feet.

"Sorry, Potter, I didn't see you there." Wood said gruffly as the train rounded a corner and both boys slid into the wall to Harry's left.

Brushing off Wood's apology, Harry beamed up at his former captain and gestured back into the compartment. "Have you heard Percy's news?"

"What?" Wood glanced over Harry's shoulder and into the crowded compartment behind them. "Wait, did he hear back from the Aurors?" A small smile began to form on Wood's lips.

Harry beamed. "Ah, well I can't tell you that, you'll have to ask Perce."

Wood frowned. "I was actually just about to go find him; did I tell you I got an offer from the Puddlemere United reserve team?"

"Really? That's brilliant, do the rest of the team know yet?" Harry asked, straightening his glasses.

At the mention of the rest of the team Wood's frown deepened and Harry wondered if Wood was really as enthusiastic about leaving school as he had been lead to believe.

"Listen, Harry, I need to have a word with Angelina, tell Percy I'd like to congratulate him when he's got a chance." Wood patted Harry roughly on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

Frowning at Wood's odd behaviour, Harry continued towards the other end of the train, looking into each compartment for Cedric as he passed. As he neared the end of the train, Luna Lovegood fell into step beside Harry.

"Hello, Harry, you look like you've got a nasty case of Wrackspurts." Luna observed in a tone of voice that left Harry wondering whether or not he had been insulted.

"Uh, Wrackspurts?"

Luna shook her head in exasperation. "_They're invisible. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy. _You could maybe try standing on your head to get rid of them, although with an infestation like yours you might need some beetroot."

Harry nodded his head, deciding that it would probably be simpler to not ask what he was supposed to do with the beetroot, lest Luna order him to shove it up his nose or something equally absurd. "I'll get right onto that as soon as I get back to my compartment."

Luna nodded. "It would be advisable." And then, her eyebrows creasing together in a frown, said, "You don't have Hiss with you."

"Oh, yeah, no I had to set him free in the forest; it was the one condition my aunt set for me keeping my dog." Harry told her, reasoning to himself that he wasn't exactly lying; Aunt Petunia _had_ said that if Harry wanted Sirius to stay with them then Hiss, who she had always hated, would have to stay at Hogwarts.

"Oh, that's a shame; I really wanted to speak to him."

Harry looked around at Luna who was staring expressionlessly ahead. "Uh... Luna, you aren't a Parselmouth." Harry pointed out, feeling as though he'd missed something very important.

"Oh, I know that, but Daddy sent me this," Luna held up what looked like a big metal bucket with holes drilled into the top and violently green ribbon threaded through the holes and a giant magnifying glass spello-taped to the top. "He made it himself you know, the ribbons enchanted and it's designed to give the wearer the ability to lip-read snakes."

Harry frowned, unable to take his eyes off the bucket. "Oh, well, sorry I couldn't be of more help to you, Luna."

"Oh, that's fine." Luna turned to walk back the way they had come, paused and then looked over her shoulder. "By the way, Harry, I think that there's a high chance that Cosmo is actually an Occamy in disguise."

Harry nodded. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on him then."

"Well, have a good summer then, Harry." Luna smiled, turned away and began skipping away down the corridor.

Harry continued down the corridor, wondering if it was 'confuse Harry day' and what Cedric would have in store for him.

Much to Harry's annoyance and confusion, he found Cedric alone in his compartment, clutching a crumpled sheet of parchment and pacing in what looked to Harry to be a very angry way.

Harry knocked once and opened the sliding door, stepping into the compartment and holding his gift in front of him like a shield.

Cedric glanced up once as Harry entered before turning away and continuing his pacing. "What do you want, Harry?" Cedric asked, not looking up.

"I just brought you this," Harry held out the gift. "It's just some stuff I got you from Honeydukes, to say thanks for letting me borrow your broom this year."

Cedric sighed and slumped down in the seat behind him, letting the sheet of paper he was holding fall to the floor. "You didn't have to get me anything, Harry... although chocolate would probably be good right now."

Harry let Cedric take the box before sitting on the seat opposite Cedric. Trying to do it as unnoticeably as possible Harry glanced down at the paper, catching sight of what looked like a coat of arms with a golden wand set against a blue background before Cedric pointed his wand at the parchment and muttered, "_Incendio._"

Cedric watched the parchment with an expression close to satisfaction on his face as it was swallowed by the flames.

"Bad news?" Harry asked gently as he watched the flames slowly die away, leaving only a scorch mark on the floor of the compartment.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Harry." Cedric said, still not looking up at Harry.

From Cedric's behaviour, Harry guessed that maybe something had happened to a relative or close friend of Cedric's, making a mental not to look up the coat of arms in 'Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy' when he got back to his compartment, Harry nodded. "Fair enough, but if you need to talk I'm happy to help, or you could talk to Hermione she's good at... emotions."

Watching Cedric clench his fists, Harry winced, he couldn't really offer any sympathies, the last time he'd really faced any form of bereavement was when he was six and Granddad Dursley had had a heart attack. Would Cedric want to be alone or would he prefer it if Harry stayed with him?

Almost as though he sensed Harry's indecision Cedric looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "I'd prefer to be alone if you don't mind."

"A-are you sure?" Harry asked standing up but not moving towards the door.

"Yes, I don't really want to talk."

Harry nodded once and hurried out of the door, still wondering as he made his way back to his compartment whether he had done the right thing by leaving Cedric on his own.

**AN: Thanks to all my readers and my awesome beta Bitch Goddess. Sorry for the lateness of the update.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Severus and Charity had arranged to have their wedding during the second week of the summer holidays and in an attempt to keep Harry, Dudley, and Sirius out of the house whilst it was being tidied for the reception, Severus had bought a Wizarding Wireless so that they could listen to various matches in the Quidditch World Cup. This left Hermione alone in the house with her manic mother and aunts who were obsessed with the upcoming wedding and took every opportunity to dress her up in various outfits for the wedding as though she was an oversized Barbie doll.

On the Thursday following their return from Hogwarts, Aunt Petunia and Charity insisted that Hermione needed to go for what must have been the tenth fitting for her bridesmaid's dress. As Severus was worried about the Death Eaters finding out about Charity, everything about the wedding was to be done in 'as Muggle a way as possible'. This meant that Hermione had to endure half an hour of standing still as the Muggle shop owner measured her and tried not to jab pins into her arms and legs. Closing her eyes against the chaos in the tiny bridal shop, Hermione slipped into Harry's mind, hoping that it would at least be relatively quiet.

Harry was lying on the grass in Aunt Petunia's back garden, with Sirius, listening to his Wizarding Wireless. From what she could see, it seemed as though Harry and Sirius had forgiven each other for the events of that morning when Sirius, who after spending so much time invisible the previous year had become somewhat chameleon like, had gotten up three hours early so that he would have enough time for his skin and hair to properly change colour to match the wall opposite Harry's bedroom door so that he could jump out and frighten Harry when he left his bedroom that morning.

Harry, as Hermione could have guessed, didn't react well to Sirius jumping out at him and once he'd recovered from the shock of it all he leapt on Sirius and forced him to drink the potion Severus had made to counteract Sirius' overexposure to the Disillusionment Charm.

The entire encounter had left both of them furious with each other. Harry was usually in a foul mood on a morning anyway and didn't enjoy being jumped out on and Sirius had already refused the potion several times because he could see all the pranking opportunities his changing skin would afford him and hadn't wanted to give it up.

As an advert for the latest Nimbus Racing Broom began, Sirius rolled onto his side and turned the radio down.

"Harry, can I ask you something?"

Harry sat up and shuffled backwards so that he could lean against a nearby tree. "Uh, yeah, I suppose so."

A small smirk played on Sirius's lips as he looked up at Harry. "Last year, did you ever think it was slightly odd that, as Cosmo, I was fully trained?"

Hermione felt Harry blush as he looked down at his godfather. Hermione had always assumed that Cosmo was a well trained dog that had somehow been abandoned, or else his obedience had come from the fact that he may have been abused in a previous home.

Harry, it seemed, had not thought of this. Hermione felt him shake his head and frown. "Not really, I didn't really think that you would have had to be trained, all the other dogs I've met have been pretty obedient."

Sirius snorted. "Oh, you really are just like James; I don't imagine he would have thought about it at all. Your mother, however, would have had several theories on how a stray dog could be so obedient, although, I highly doubt even she would have come to the actual conclusion." Sirius lounged back on the grass, holding his hands behind his head. "Didn't my willingness to wear your cloak tip you off even the slightest bit?"

Harry shook his head. "Before you I only had two other pets, an owl and a snake, and seeing as magical owls are already well trained and that I could actually _talk_ to Hiss it didn't really occur to me that you, Cosmo, wouldn't be the same."

"Well it's a good job you've got Hermione, then." Sirius said with a smirk. "I don't know how you'd have gotten by without her; I bet _she_ had a theory."

"I bet she had several." Harry said with what Hermione hoped was a fond smile on his face. "But if you think about it, I'd have known if you meant me harm."

Sirius tilted his head in a doglike gesture and propped himself up on his elbow. "How so?"

"I had my Pocket Sneakoscope, if you'd meant me any harm it would have gone off as soon as you got near us." Harry said, his tone somewhat smug.

"Ah, of course, but if it had gone off would you have come to the conclusion that your dog was setting it off? James's mentor during Auror training, Mad-Eye, had a mantra 'Constant Vigilance' you've always got to be on your guard, even if that means suspecting an animal."

Hermione felt an odd sensation as Harry rolled his eyes. "I thought you were an Auror too, didn't you have the same mentor?"

Sirius grinned and let out a bark like laugh. "Your grandfather was head of the Auror department when we joined; he thought it would be best to assign us to different mentors. Mad-Eye mentored your father and Alice Longbottom. I was mentored by your grandfather along with a bloke named Kingsley. Sniv- uh, Snape mentioned that since I escaped from Azkaban they're using the fact that Kingsley and I were trained together in an attempt to have more success tracking me."

"So, how do they decide who mentors who?" Harry asked.

Hermione wondered to herself whether Harry had actually listened to any of Percy's lectures on the Auror programme, she had definitely heard Percy explain how the selection programme works.

"You've got to be pretty good to become an Auror, they don't just pick anyone, you apply and if you get the right NEWT grades, you then have to be chosen by a Senior Auror, not everyone who gets the grades is selected. Your mentor kind of vouches for you, if you don't live up to their expectations it's the Auror who vouched for you that disciplines you, it's almost separate from the Ministry. So who was it that vouched for Percy?"

"Auror Shacklebolt, he apparently picked him because Percy was dedicated and honest; Perce seemed kind of miffed that the reasoning didn't relate more to his intelligence, and the fact that he'd trained for it for ages."

Sirius let out a snort of laughter. "_Auror Shacklebolt._ Percy is one of four wizards who are of age and know exactly where I am, what are the chances that he'd be vouched for by the bloke who's hunting me down?"

"Auror Shacklebolt was trained with you? I wonder if Perce knows that... actually I don't, I bet Perce researched him as soon as he got his assignment."

"Nothing wrong with that, imagine if he got there and Kingsley was a complete nutter, James would definitely have been buggered if he hadn't met Mad-Eye before training, now that man was mental, James told me that he once-"

"All done now, dear."

Hermione blinked twice and looked down, the dress fitter was smiling kindly up at Hermione offering her a hand to help her down from the stool she had been standing on for the fitting.

"Oh," Hermione blinked again, trying to regain her bearings and took the woman's hand, shakily stepping down from the stool. "Thank you."

After spending a week tidying the two houses at the Terrace from top to bottom, going to all of the dress fittings, and having her mother and Aunt Petunia try out so many hairstyles on her that she had an almost permanent headache, Hermione was thankful when the day of the hen party came around.

Dudley and Harry had both been invited on Severus's stag party along with Hermione's father, Uncle Vernon, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, Professor Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, and surprisingly, Remus.

Hermione, who couldn't imagine anything more mortifying than spending a casual day out with her school teachers, had politely declined Charity's offer of her joining her hen party which consisted of Hermione's mother, Aunt Petunia, Professors McGonagall, Sprout, and Hooch, Madame Pomfrey, and an austere looking healer named Hestia Jones.

According to Harry, Uncle Vernon had booked what he called an 'adventure day' for Severus's party and Hermione wouldn't have minded going along just to see Professor Dumbledore or tiny Professor Flitwick on a zip wire or playing paintball. She did not, however, want to imagine what her mother and Professor McGonagall would be getting up to on Charity's day out.

Instead, Hermione had made arrangements to spend the day of the parties at Cedric Diggory's house because, unlike Harry who was so often exasperatingly oblivious, she knew what had upset Cedric on the train and, being one of the few who did, wanted to see how he was baring up.

Her mother saw her through the floo at ten O'clock that morning, waving goodbye and telling her to have a 'nice time' as Hermione took a handful of powder, threw it into the flames and called 'Diggory Towers, Windermere'.

Cedric met her as she tumbled out of the Diggory's fireplace and Hermione pulled him into a tight, bear-like hug.

Pulling away and surveying him at arm's length Hermione beamed up at Cedric and asked, "How are you?"

Cedric's eyes flicked towards the door as he said in a falsely cheery voice. "Just great, Hermione, why wouldn't I be?"

Hermione followed Cedric's eyes towards a pair of solid oak doors on the left hand side of the hallway, which were open just wide enough for her to see someone moving about behind them. "Oh, uh, well, Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff to the Quidditch cup."

Something flashed in Cedric's eyes and he winced slightly. "Yeah, well Gryffindor had a pretty strong team last year."

Hermione winced inwardly at her thoughtlessness and frowned. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Cedric rolled his eyes and took Hermione by the hand, leading her towards the doors at which he had glanced earlier. Pushing the door open, he led Hermione into a large parlour. The parlour was large and brightly lit, clearly showing the Diggory's allegiance to Hufflepuff house. The entire room was decorated with a pale creamy yellow colour, in what Hermione found to be a surprisingly tasteful interpretation of the Hufflepuff colours.

A woman, who Hermione assumed to be Cedric's mother, was sitting, reading a book in a large ornate, high backed armchair. When she heard the two of them enter the parlour she closed the book and, setting it down on the arm of the chair, stood to greet them.

Cedric stepped forward and pulled Hermione to his side. "Mum, this is Hermione Granger, one of my friends from school." Cedric gestured to Hermione. "Hermione, this is my mother, Cynthia Diggory."

Hermione offered a small smile in greeting, unsure of proper pureblood etiquette and said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Diggory."

"Please call me Cynthia, dear, it's lovely to meet you too, Ced's told me all about you." She raised an eyebrow in what Hermione hoped was amusement and added, "Brewing Polyjuice Potion in your second year, now that is quite a feat."

Hermione glanced towards Cedric who seemed to be finding Hermione's uncertainty amusing, before looking back at Mrs. Diggory. "Thank you, Mrs. Diggory, you should know, though, that I don't make a habit of breaking school rules, but Harry's a bad influence on me."

Mrs. Diggory let out a soft laugh. "Ah, of course, Harry Potter, Cedric tells me that you grew up together," she shot a pointed look at Cedric and said, "I would very much like to meet him too, the-boy-who-lived, I remember the day he defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He's become somewhat of a legend now, how odd to think of you and Cedric being friends with him."

"He would have loved to come with me today but our Uncle Tobias is getting married this week and he and Dudley, Harry's brother, were invited to go out on a 'Stag Day'."

"Harry Potter has a brother? Ced you never told us this." A voice boomed from across the room. Hermione turned to see a short, red faced man with a scrubby brown beard, striding across the room.

Cedric shook his head. "I have mentioned him, Dad, he's Harry's adoptive brother. Anyway, this is Hermione Granger, Hermione, this is my dad."

Hermione smiled and nodded her head in Mr. Diggory's direction. "It's lovely to meet you, sir."

"Yes, you too, Miss Granger," He glanced down at Hermione and Cedric's entwined hands and frowned. "Ced, you never mentioned that it was your girlfriend you'd invited over."

"What?" Cedric followed his father's eyes to his hand and then looked back up. "No, Hermione and I aren't together."

"Amos, Hermione's seeing Harry Potter." Mrs. Diggory hissed, widening her eyes at her husband.

Hermione opened her mouth to put the Diggorys straight but was cut off by Cedric, "Right, well, I'm going to show Hermione my tower."

"You have a tower?" Hermione asked, as she followed Cedric from the parlour, before adding in an undertone, "Why did you let your parents believe I'm going out with Harry?"

Cedric wrinkled his nose. "It'll prevent my mum suggesting that I ask out 'that nice Muggleborn girl' in the future. And of course I have a tower, this is Diggory Towers, the entire house is made up of four towers. My room is in the East tower, my parents the north and the rest of the house is spread between the others."

As Cedric led Hermione up a spiral staircase Hermione frowned and looked up at Cedric. She'd wondered why she'd been one of Cedric's only confidants but now, after meeting the Diggorys she could almost understand.

"You haven't told them, have you?" Hermione asked quietly as Cedric pushed open the door to his bedroom.

"Told them what?" Cedric asked not looking at Hermione as he sat on a squashy yellow armchair pushed against his desk.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked around Cedric's room; it was decorated in a similar way to the parlour only all of the walls were plastered with posters for a Quidditch team Hermione didn't recognize and several bands she knew Seamus and Ron were fans of.

"You know what I mean, about the... break up, they seem nice." If she were to be perfectly honest, Hermione wouldn't say that Cedric's parents were _nice_ exactly, she had found Mrs. Diggory to be far too formal and Mr. Diggory had been rather dismissive of her.

Cedric snorted and gestured for Hermione to sit down. "I'm still a pureblood heir."

"But I thought you said your parents weren't pureblood fanatics."

Cedric shrugged, looking down at his slippered feet. "You wouldn't understand; they still stick with all the old traditions."

She was surprised to see how vulnerable Cedric looked as she watched him quietly drum his fingers against his desk. "So you can't even confide in them?" Hermione asked, horrified.

Cedric shook his head, "Only you and Malcolm, one of my dorm-mates, knows about it... it's pretty shit really."

Hermione rolled her eyes, it seemed that boys in general were incapable of vocalizing proper emotion it seemed that all of them used the same phrase 'it's pretty shit really' to describe everything bad that could possibly happen to them, from forgetting the password to the common room to falling from a broom and breaking both their legs.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that, although, maybe I'd be a little more dramatic about it."

A small, sly grin began to form on Cedric's lips. "I punched him, you know."

"You what?"

"When_ he_ broke up with me."

Hermione grimaced, a small, slightly snarky part of her wanted to know if they were allowed to speak his name or whether he was the next Voldemort but, reminding herself that Cedric had just been through a nasty break up, she forced the thoughts down and instead said, "I'd probably have done worse."

"Yeah, well, as they say, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. Thinking back on it, I wish I had at least hexed him but I was kind of in shock, I mean he picked a lousy job over me, what sort of bastard does that? And he had the nerve to tell me that he still loves me." Cedric clenched his fists and slammed them against his desk.

"Oooh, wait 'till I see him next." Hermione seethed, mentally going through the list of every curse she had ever learnt.

"Yeah, well, fortunately, neither of us will ever have to see him again now he's such a big shot."

Hermione pretended not to look at Cedric who was blinking rapidly in an obvious attempt to fight back tears. "The git, you're better off without him."

"I don't know that I am though, even after everything he's done I still think I love him." Cedric sighed despondently and wrapped his arms around his knees. "I really am fucked."

Hermione couldn't stop herself wincing at Cedric's language, but Cedric, who was staring intently at his feet, didn't notice. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, then she didn't have a clue about what to say to Cedric, she might have read a lot of books but she'd never actually experienced anything like what Cedric was going through.

Deciding that the best way to help Cedric would be to keep his mind off of what had happened Hermione sat up straight and asked, "Would you like to come to the wedding tomorrow, as my plus-one"

Cedric glanced up at Hermione, smiling in an almost patronizing way. "Look, Hermione, you're nice and everything but I'm not all that into girls."

Hermione rolled her eyes, maybe there really was such a thing as seers, and after all, she'd predicted Cedric's answer almost down to the letter. Why was it that boys misunderstood everything she ever said?

"Well, I don't usually make a habit of asking people out that have already come out to me as gay." Hermione shook her head in exasperation, sometimes she really did wonder if Cedric was as stupid as Fred and George always made him out to be. "I thought it might get your mind off things for a while."

"Who's Harry's plus one?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Harry's taking a plus-four, if that's a possible thing, his excuse was that Dudley would want to catch up with Neville and that if Neville came he would have to invite Ron, Seamus and Dean just to be fair."

"And Snape was all right with that?" Cedric asked his interest clear in his voice.

Hermione smiled, she'd known that if Cedric was anything like her he'd be amazed by the idea of someone like 'Professor Snape' having a family he actually cared about. "Harry actually got Charity's permission before mentioning it to anyone else, when Severus found out he nearly hexed him."

"He wouldn't hex me, would he?" Cedric asked looking worried at the thought of it.

"No, I think he kind of likes you; well, I don't think he's ever called you a 'dunderhead', at least." Hermione shrugged. "I suppose I'd be lying if I said he _likes _you, he doesn't really like any of his students, but I'm fairly certain that he doesn't _hate_ you."

"Uh, that's reassuring?" Cedric said, sounding slightly worried by Hermione's casual tone.

Hermione couldn't help but grin at the worry which was obvious on Cedric's face. "No need to worry," She said, adopting a falsely cheerful tone. "As far as I know, Harry was the last person he hexed."

_OOOOO_

When Hermione awoke early on the morning of the wedding she found Harry, wearing only his pyjama bottoms, sitting at the table chatting animatedly to Aunt Petunia, Charity, Dobby, and Granny Granger. Granny Granger was Hermione's father's mother, she had been called 'Granny' by everyone who knew her ever since the birth of her first grandchild to Hermione's Uncle Sean, and seemed to take great enjoyment in insulting and moaning at everyone who wasn't Harry or Severus.

"Morning." Hermione yawned, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea from Aunt Petunia's giant silver tea pot. "What're you all doing up so early?" Hermione directed her question more towards Harry than anyone else. Through the bond, she could feel a trickle of fear, which Harry appeared to be trying to hide from her.

Charity beamed and Hermione could almost feel contentment radiating from her. "I just couldn't sleep."

Hermione grinned. "Less than ten hours to go, I can hardly believe that today's the day."

"I still can't believe I'm actually getting married." Charity confessed.

"I still can't believe you said yes." Harry teased pushing his glasses up his nose and grinning at Charity. "You do know how much of a miserable git he can be right?"

Charity smiled indulgently at Harry. "I can forgive him for being a bit miserable at times."

Harry shrugged and grinned teasingly. "He's your problem now."

"Not until one o'clock this afternoon." Petunia pointed out, pouring Granny Granger another cup of tea and adding two lumps of sugar. "Now, we'll begin making breakfast shortly. Once we're done, Charity and you, Hermione, are to head upstairs and begin getting ready, the rest of us will use the showers at Helen and David's and then begin setting up in the garden for the reception."

"The reception is being held here?" Granny Granger snapped, her voice slightly louder than was necessary. "I didn't know that, why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything?"

Hermione frowned; she knew for a fact that both of her parents, Aunt Petunia, Severus, Dudley, and herself had told Granny Granger where the reception was to be held and she had even given her a list of the foods to be served so that they could cater to her 'sensitive stomach'.

"Sorry, Granny, we should have made sure to tell you." Hermione said soothingly, knowing that pointing out that she was lying about being kept out of the loop would only get everyone in trouble.

"Yes, well, next time see that you do." Granny Granger said sternly and stretched out. "These chairs really do nothing for my arthritis, Petunia."

Petunia looked torn and Hermione couldn't help but smile, every time either Granny Granger or Aunt Marge came to stay Aunt Petunia would get that look on her face, showing how she wanted to be a good hostess and yet had a strong desire to reprimand her guest.

Fortunately, Petunia's internal struggle was resolved by Charity offering to cast a Cushioning Charm on Granny Granger's chair.

Once Hermione's parents and several of the Hogwarts' professors, including Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Madam Hooch, joined them at the table, Aunt Petunia set to work making her breakfast banquet.

Hermione was tasked by Aunt Petunia to poach kippers for breakfast. She was almost immediately nudged away from the cooker by Harry who knew that Hermione could ruin even the simplest of meals.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's insistence that she stay away from all of the food preparation and asked. "Where's your shirt?"

Harry glanced down at his bare chest and turned, grabbing one of Aunt Petunia's aprons from by the kitchen door. "I'll be frying bacon in a second." He said at Hermione's look of surprise as he tied the floral apron around himself. "I couldn't find my shirt, it was pretty dark when I woke up and I didn't want to make any noise and wake anyone else up."

"And Aunt Petunia didn't make you go and get one when she saw you?" Hermione asked, finding it hard to believe that Aunt Petunia would let Harry sit shirtless at the table.

"Granny said I shouldn't have to." Harry said with a small smirk. "I swear if Aunt Petunia wasn't a Muggle she would have hexed Granny then and there. Now, go sit down with the professors, your presence is going to damage the food."

"I'm not that bad at cooking." Hermione protested.

"You find it difficult not to burn toast." Harry told her flatly as he began to season the kippers.

"You're not wrong." Hermione agreed. "Now, are you going to tell me what's up with you?"

"What do you mean, there's nothing up with me?" Harry answered a little too quickly for Hermione to believe him.

"I felt something from you this morning." Hermione said, her voice a low whisper, not everyone in the kitchen knew about their bond.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Harry asked quickly turning around to face Hermione. "You didn't see anything?"

"No, it was just a flicker of fear this morning. You were trying to hide it from me." Hermione accused, feeling somewhat hurt at Harry's deception, as a general rule they tried to share everything.

"It was nothing, just a nightmare. Don't bother about it, just focus on the wedding." Harry said, waving her away and continuing his cooking.

"A nightmare?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "You don't normally get frightened over nightmares."

"Forget it, Hermione." Harry said tiredly, not looking up at her from the pan. "I'll tell someone about it after the wedding if it bothers you so much."

"What, you mean when you're at the Quidditch World Cup with Seamus?" Hermione hissed, feeling Harry's annoyance at being caught out through the bond.

"Merlin, Hermione, it was just a dream about Pettigrew, all right? You really don't need to worry." Harry said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and turned away to sit at the kitchen table, feeling through the bond that Harry was still keeping something from her.

_OOOOO_

When Charity and Severus returned from their honeymoon, Hermione, her parents, Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon all piled into two cars to meet the from the airport at nine o'clock in the evening. As Severus and Charity's return was scheduled for the night of the final game of the Quidditch World Cup, Harry had been unable to go with them and Aunt Petunia had thought it would be better if Sirius didn't go with them as he and Severus hadn't really made much headway in 'burying the hatchet'. In fact, when Hermione had suggested that to Sirius he had told her that he would rather 'bury a hatchet in the back of Snivellus's head'.

Once they'd been collected and had packed their suitcases into the back of Uncle Vernon's car, Hermione's father led them to a restaurant near the airport which served food until midnight because Aunt Petunia, much to Dudley's disgust, had refused to let them have dinner until after they'd collected Charity and Severus.

Once they'd ordered their meals, Charity began filling in Hermione, her mother, and Aunt Petunia about her honeymoon, whilst Dudley and Uncle Vernon teased Severus about his tan, since they'd never seen him without his usual waxy complexion. At half past ten, the euphoria Hermione had been feeling from Harry about Ireland winning the World Cup changed from being a bright overpowering emotion to a dull buzz in the back of Hermione's consciousness. Frowning, Hermione tried to reach through the bond to Harry but found he was blocking her.

Noticing Hermione's worried expression Dudley leaned away from Uncle Vernon who was still teasing Severus and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"Harry's blocking me." Hermione whispered, furrowing her eyebrows and leaning closer to Dudley so that none of the adults would hear them. "How does my aura look?"

"Normal, well as normal as it looks when Harry isn't here." Dudley whispered, keeping his voice low as he put a forkful of mashed potato into his mouth.

"So there's no difference, why would he be blocking me?"

Dudley shrugged and swallowed his mouthful of food before suggesting, "Maybe he's drinking, I mean Ireland did win so he's probably celebrating and he isn't the most responsible person we know."

Hermione chewed her lower lip anxiously and glanced at Aunt Petunia. "Should I say anything?"

"I wouldn't." Dudley glanced over at his mother and frowned. "What they don't know won't hurt them and if Harry's doing something he shouldn't Seamus and his mum will keep an eye on him."

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Dudley's shoulder. "It's probably just that he's been away a week that's got me worried, it puts a strain on the bond."

Dudley grinned and took another mouthful of his cottage pie. "He really does spend too much time away from home; when I was little, my mum told me it was my job as an older brother to look after Harry but he really makes the job hard for me."

"He can't help it, he's Harry." Hermione smiled and sat up in her chair, moving the peas around on her plate, despite not having eaten anything since twelve o'clock that afternoon she just couldn't eat anything.

"Smeltings isn't nearly as dangerous as Hogwarts, and they teach welding to first years. Last term a kid lost his thumb on a band saw." Dudley said shaking his head.

"You're joking?" Hermione gasped. "I mean limbs are lost frequently at Hogwarts but nothings ever permanent. Half the sixth and seventh years have Splinched an arm or leg learning to Apparate but to actually cut off your thumb." Hermione shuddered and curled her toes at the thought.

"It was the idiots own fault, we have safety rules for a reason." Dudley shook his head again. "We learn all the safety rules during our first week at school, it's like someone at Hogwarts holding their wand the wrong way around."

Hermione laughed. "I saw a fifth year girl hex herself just the other day; she got into an argument with a Slytherin and reacted without thinking."

"I'd bet all my savings that that girl was a Gryffindor."

Hermione, who had taken a large mouthful of her drink choked and only managed to avoid spraying her father with juice by holding her napkin to her mouth. "Don't be so mean about Gryffindor."

"You Gryffindors all act without thinking." Dudley asked smirking. "She was a Gryffindor, wasn't she?"

Hermione swatted Dudley with the back of her hand and continued stirring her peas. Without looking up from her plate Hermione muttered, "She might have been."

"Ah, Gryffindor House, where everyone is impulsive and slightly stupid."

"You spend too much time with Severus." Hermione complained. "We're not all like Harry and Sarah."

"Sarah?" Dudley asked.

"The girl that hexed herself." Hermione muttered into her peas.

"Yeah, well, Severus isn't exactly wrong, you wouldn't catch students from any other house going down into the Chamber of Secrets or chasing a known murderer into a Forbidden Forest." Dudley continued, adopting a teasing superior expression.

"That's because everyone else is boring _and_ we didn't know Cosmo was Sirius." Hermione grumbled, not quite sure why she was defending Gryffindor, everything Dudley said was true and that was partly why she found a lot of her housemates so irritating.

"I'd take a quiet life any day."

"Yeah, whatever." Hermione rolled her eyes unsure if Dudley was lying or just being extremely stupid. "If you wanted a quiet life you wouldn't have signed up for the England's under-sixteen Rugby team."

"It's a great opportunity." Dudley protested.

"Oh, I know it is, but it isn't exactly the road to a quiet life is it?"

Dudley sighed exaggeratedly and said. "_Fine_, I'd take a more Hufflepuffish life any day."

Hermione scoffed. "That's not even a real word; you do realize that Hufflepuffs are supposed to be really hard working?"

Dudley shrugged. "I've got to work hard if I wanna play for England."

"Yes, well-"

Hermione stopped dead as she felt the bond push itself open with such force that she almost fell off her chair. In the back of her mind, the bit that was always connected to Harry whether he was blocking her or not reached out and a voice that she'd always associated with her magic and her instincts screamed at Harry through the bond. _"Be willing." _Her message delivered the bond slammed close as quickly and with as much force as it had opened with.

Steadying herself against the table, Hermione felt Dudley's arm holding her in her chair as she pushed herself up.

"Hermione, what happened?" Dudley asked urgently, this time not keeping his voice quiet as it seemed quite obvious to everyone around the table that something was wrong with Hermione.

"Why, did you see something?" Hermione asked, breathing deeply.

"Your aura flashed brightly, as if Harry was here and then it dimmed like he was blocking you again." Dudley told her moving his arm from around Hermione, but keeping his hands close as though worried she might fall from her chair at any moment.

"Harry's blocking you?" Aunt Petunia asked, her voice shrill and frightened. "Why would Harry be blocking you? I think we need to go home right now, what if something wrong with him?" She glanced up at Uncle Vernon, her eyes wide and frightened and nodded. "Yes, we should be home in case he needs us."

"Mum, don't freak out." Dudley muttered lowering his head in embarrassment as every head in the restaurant to stare at Aunt Petunia.

"I'm not freaking out? Why would you say I'm freaking out?" She glanced up at Uncle Vernon again and said. "Vernon, tell Dudley I'm not freaking out."

"Your mother isn't freaking out, Dudley." Uncle Vernon said, looking as though he thought Aunt Petunia was definitely freaking out, as he seemed to slide lower in his chair as people continued to stare.

"Don't worry, Aunt Petunia; he probably isn't doing anything dangerous." Hermione said as soothingly as she could manage after experiencing the mental equivalent of being slammed into a brick wall. "I heard that Veela are the Bulgarian mascots this year, he and Seamus are probably ogling them or something."

"Veela? What're Veela?" Aunt Petunia all but shrieked. "Vernon, I want to go home, Harry might be in trouble again."

"Severus, I think it might be best if you and Charity take us home by side-along apparition, we can collect the cars tomorrow." Hermione's mother said sounding almost as worried about Harry as Petunia did.

"Yes, that might be for the best." Charity agreed standing up and setting her napkin on the table. "I'll take Petunia and Helen whilst you settle the bill; I'll be back in five minutes for Dudley and Hermione."

Severus nodded once at his wife before the three women stood and walked to the door, several seconds later there was the sound of a distant popping as Charity Disapparated.

Hermione's father called the waiter over and the three remaining adults heaped several notes onto the table before adding a substantial tip for all the fuss caused by Petunia.

"Sorry about that, Severus, mate." Vernon said, clapping a hand on Severus's shoulder. "Petunia worries a lot when it comes to Harry; he's always off doing something that he shouldn't."

Severus smiled and nodded in agreement. "I can't blame her; we haven't had a quiet year at Hogwarts since he started."

Vernon shook his head in amusement. "That's my boy. It gets worse when they're all at school, Dudders' rugby is dangerous enough but along with what Harry and Hermione get up to I'm surprised that we don't just sit up all night worrying about them."

"We're all as bad as each other." Hermione's father lamented as he pulled on his jacket. "Half the time it feels like they've left home already."

Hermione and Dudley shared a look of extreme embarrassment, both feeling as though they shouldn't be listening to the conversation, as they followed their fathers and Severus out of the restaurant and into the dark car park.

Charity appeared several minutes later and held out a hand for Hermione and Dudley.

"Hold on tight." Charity said.

Hermione held onto Charity's arm and as she felt her arm twist away from her she tightened her grip holding on as everything went dark and the feeling of being pulled through a tiny tube overwhelmed her.

Hermione released Charity's arm as soon as they arrived in Aunt Petunia's living room at the Terrace and immediately slumped on the ground, knowing that after side-along apparition she was liable to fall over if she attempted to walk anywhere.

Dudley looked incredibly worse than she felt, he released Charity's arm and doubled over, his face going slightly green with motion sickness. And when Severus appeared with Hermione's father and Uncle Vernon several seconds later, the two Muggle men both agreed that they would need a shot of whiskey to recover from the shock of Apparition.

Sirius, who had apparently been lounging in the living room eating crisps and reading _The Merchant of Venice_ before they arrived home, had gotten the story of what had happened from Hermione's mother and agreed with Dudley. Harry was probably doing what he and James would have been doing in their situation, drinking as much alcohol as they could get from the celebrating Ireland supporters.

This did nothing to reassure Aunt Petunia; rather, the mention of how irresponsible James Potter would have been in Harry's position only seemed to stress her out more. This resulted in Severus and Sirius getting into an argument about, well, Hermione wasn't entirely sure _what _they were arguing about but it ended with Severus brandishing his wand in Sirius's face before telling everyone to stay inside the Terrace and that he needed to speak to Dumbledore about something.

Once Severus had Disapparated to wherever Dumbledore spends his summer holidays, Sirius began to quiz Hermione on every detail of what she had felt from Harry through the bond during dinner.

"I'm not sure about the _'be willing' _bit, couldn't your subconscious be less cryptic?" Sirius asked shaking his head at Hermione. "But does Harry block you out often?"

"Sometimes if he's doing something I'd disapprove of or something dangerous. A few years ago we found out that if he has the Cruciatus Curse cast on him and the bond is left open I can feel the pain he feels."

Sirius paled and he ran a hand through his hair. "You shouldn't know that." He shook his head. "No fourteen-year-old should know that his almost-sister feels the affect of the Cruciatus Curse when it's cast on him."

Sirius stood up and joined Aunt Petunia in her pacing. "I should have been there, it's one thing going after a Philosopher's Stone but having the Cruciatus Curse cast on him. When did this happen?" He looked over at Hermione as he continued his pacing.

"In the Chamber of Secrets, Voldemort cast it on him." Hermione said, not really focusing on Sirius as she tried to feel through the bond what might have happened with Harry.

"But you told me about the chamber, why didn't you mention that?" Sirius asked looking pained.

Hermione shook her head, still only feeling the slight buzz from Harry at the back of her mind. "I don't know, Harry usually only focuses on what happened to Seamus down there, we all do really."

"But what about Neville, surely that would be his focus after what happened to his parents?" Sirius protested.

Hermione shook her head again and brought her knees up to her chest. "I think it made it easier for him, experiencing what happened first hand made him understand what they went through."

"_First hand?_ Neville had it cast on him too?" Sirius asked horrified. "Twelve year olds shouldn't even be able to survive that curse."

Hermione frowned and slumped in her chair still unable to get through Harry's block. "The last time he blocked me out like this he ran off for hours." She said only loud enough for Sirius and Dudley to hear.

"He ran off?" Dudley and Sirius asked together.

Hermione rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth in annoyance at Harry blocking her and Sirius and Dudley's stupidity. "You know that." She hissed at both of them. "Remus told you." She said jabbing a finger at Sirius. "And Neville wrote to you about it." She jabbed a finger in Dudley's direction. "We climbed a hill in a snow storm and got locked out of school." She muttered rubbing her temples and closing her eyes against the headache which was forming at the strain she was putting on the bond.

"But why would he block you like that?" Dudley asked.

"If I knew don't you think I'd tell you?" Hermione hissed, opening her eyes to glare at Dudley and Sirius who were staring at her in shock. "Can't you both just shut up? I can't get through to him if I'm answering all of your stupid questions."

Dudley and Sirius subsided into a shocked silence, both sharing slightly frightened glances each time Sirius's pacing brought him close to the sofa Dudley and Hermione were sharing.

As Sirius reached the fireplace Hermione felt a strange cracking from the bond as an almost ethereal calm washed over her. She took a deep breath, preparing to push through the bond to Harry.

There was silence, everything seemed to go still and suddenly Hermione couldn't feel Harry, at all, through the bond. One second, despite him blocking her, she was able to feel Harry's presence at the back of her mind and the next he was gone, without any noise or warning the bond seemed to just close between them.

The world began to go spin and go dim; Hermione felt as though someone had filled her ears with cotton wool. As if through a tunnel Hermione could see Dudley and Sirius leaning over her, someone was speaking to her but the noise was muffled, she reached up to pull the cotton wool from her ears but found them unobstructed.

Dudley leant in closer, the strange calmness was still filling her mind but for some strange reason Dudley looked more frightened than she had ever seen him in his life. His voice rose but Hermione couldn't understand a word he said.

Pushing Dudley aside, Hermione decided that the best way to deal with the dizziness would be to go splash her face with water in the bathroom and she pushed herself to her feet. Before she had even made it two steps away from the sofa the darkness closed in on her and she slumped back into Dudley's arm, unconscious.

_OOOOO_

Several hundred miles away at the Quidditch world cup, Seamus Finnigan lay trapped by a fallen tree on a damp forest floor watching in horror as a ball of sickly green light sped across the clearing. The light collided with Harry's chest and he was sent several meters into the air before going limp and landing on the floor with a resounding thud.

**AN: Looking through my e-mails I've realized that I haven't replied to quite a few reviews, fortunately most of the questions asked will be answered in the next few chapters, so thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to alerts and favourites and thanks to my Beta, **_**Bitch Goddess.**_

**Beksta x**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

_Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin._

One hand still clutching his forehead, as though it might split open at any second, Harry laid as still as he could, first trying to feel through the bond to see if his nightmare had awoken Hermione and then listening out for any other noises in the house.

Satisfied that no one else was awake, Harry pushed living himself up in his sleeping bag and felt around above his mattress for his glasses and watch, the tiny glowing hands read half past five.

Harry groaned, his scar still aching painfully as he tried to untangle himself from the sleeping bag; once free from his bed Harry reached around in the darkness, only able to find a pair of jeans before stumbling across the darkened living room and squeezing out through the door without allowing too much light in from the hallway.

Once outside the room, Harry pulled on the jeans, which he was thankful to see were his own since anyone else's would have been far too big for him. Fastening his belt, Harry pushed his glasses onto his face and strapped his watch around his wrist before making his way across the hall to the kitchen.

He closed his eyes tightly and tried to recall the dream in full as he poured himself a large bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.

Voldemort had definitely been in the dream, Harry thought as he leant against the kitchen table and spooned cornflakes into his mouth; the problem was that, despite the dream being almost clear in his mind, for the life of him he couldn't remember at all what Voldemort had looked like. And then there was the old man, he had no idea who he was and wondered what had prompted Voldemort to kill him. Had it simply been a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, or had the old man been one of the people that had opposed Voldemort during the war?

Rubbing his forehead, Harry looked around the kitchen, inside the house they were safe, protected from Voldemort by his mother's sacrifice. But what did the dream, and for that matter the pain in his scar, mean about the future?

If, despite the protection and the distance between them, Harry's scar was aching, did that mean that Voldemort was getting stronger?

Harry paced the kitchen, still spooning cereal into his mouth. If the dream had been more than a dream then maybe he should tell someone; his aunts and uncles were out of the question, it was the morning of Severus's wedding and if he told any of them it would only end up ruining the day. Going with that train of thought, Sirius would be out of the question too, if Harry told him something like that he'd probably go running straight to Aunt Petunia or Dumbledore, since he was now doing the whole 'responsible adult' thing to make up for his time spent in Azkaban.

Finishing his cereal, Harry dumped the empty bowl in the sink and drained the glass of milk before slumping in one of the chairs at the magically enlarged table. Despite being the one person he trusted more than anyone else in the world, he couldn't tell Hermione either because she, being Hermione, would feel the need to alert an adult to the situation.

Harry groaned and rested his head against the table; realistically he'd have to wait until after the wedding to tell anyone. Even then, he'd be telling Seamus who, despite the idea of complaining to him about a bit of pain in his scar seeming ridiculous, would have even less of an idea of what to do about it than Harry would.

He wasn't sure exactly how much time he had spent with his head resting on the table, thinking about what to do about the dream and his scar hurting, but not long after, Aunt Petunia entered the kitchen, the soft clicking of the door almost scaring Harry to death.

"Morning, Harry, what are you doing up so early?" Aunt Petunia asked, frowning at Harry in concern.

"It was too hot in the living room with everyone sleeping in there." Harry lied easily, resolving not to bother telling anyone about the dream until he was away from the Terrace and at the Quidditch World Cup with Seamus and Mrs. Finnegan.

"Oh, I'm not surprised with all of you boys in there." Petunia said crossing the kitchen to flick the kettle on. "Tea?"

"Please." Harry said, sitting up properly in his seat and watching his aunt moving across the kitchen. "So, what're you doing up so early, I haven't even seen Dobby this morning."

Aunt Petunia pursed her lips in annoyance. "Oh, I imagine Dobby is still asleep, he's taken to sneaking around in the middle of the night to do _secret cleaning_. And the reason I'm up now is because your uncle's wedding reception is being held here today and I need to be up to greet all the guests when they awake."

"Cleaning's just what house elves do, like Centaurs and stargazing, it's kind of normal." Harry said, wondering if anyone but Aunt Petunia would be upset about someone secretly cleaning their house at night. "Marge isn't coming, is she?"

Aunt Petunia sat in a chair opposite Harry and slid a mug of tea across the table to him. "_Aunt_ Marge has another commitment."

Harry rolled his eyes at Aunt Petunia's insistence that he always refer to his uncle's sister as '_Aunt__'_ and nodded in satisfaction. "What're we going to do with the professors whilst we're setting up for the reception?"

"We don't need to _do_ anything with them, Harry, we'll be all getting ready for the ceremony and any food you, Helen, and I don't have time to do Dobby will do. As for the setting up, well, Severus hasn't invited Sirius to the actual wedding so he's agreed to add the finishing touches to the house."

"Right." Harry nodded and stared down at the tendrils of steam swirling upwards from his mug of tea. Despite his apparent recklessness and Severus's hatred of him, Aunt Petunia had been rather impressed with Sirius who, as Remus had told him, could be quite the charmer when he wanted to be and, as a pureblood, had been brought up to abide by certain rules of etiquette.

Granny Granger arrived in the kitchen several minutes later, fully dressed, carrying her massive carpet bag and complaining how the bed she'd spent the night in had made her arthritis play up.

Aunt Petunia stared pointedly ay Harry and said, "Harry dear, I understand your room was warm last night but don't you think you've cooled down enough by now to put a shirt on?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Petunia, Harry should be able to wear whatever he wants." Granny said as she sat down at the table, setting her bag on the floor next to her with a loud thud that made Harry wonder what she could possibly need to carry around with her at such an early hour.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go find something." Harry said, standing up, deciding that Aunt Petunia was stressed enough without him causing arguments with Granny Granger.

"Nonsense, sit back down." Granny ordered pushing Harry back into his chair with more force than Harry thought such an old woman should be able to muster.

Harry glanced wide eyed at his aunt who looked about ready to hit something "Uh, okay."

Charity arrived in the kitchen several minutes later, and she and Aunt Petunia began chattering about the wedding whilst Granny offered irritatingly scathing comments every time she thought conversation was becoming too dry.

Hermione joined them half an hour later and was soon followed by the professors, which Aunt Petunia took as a signal for her to begin making breakfast.

Harry stood up and stretched, carrying his cup of tea with him across the kitchen as he headed to the fridge to help his aunt. When Harry turned away from the fridge, his arms laden with bacon and sausage he saw, much to his horror, that someone had not only let Hermione near the stove but had actually allowed her to participate in the cooking.

Dropping the armful of food on the nearest worktop, Harry hurried to Hermione's side and nudged her away from the cooker.

"Look, Hermione, I love you and everything, but you really should know that you're not the best cook. Maybe you could go sit over there." Harry pointed in the direction of the kitchen table. "You know, far, far away from all of the food that you could burn or drop."

Hermione rolled her eyes, ignoring Harry's teasing about her cooking and asked, "Where's your shirt?"

Harry who had almost forgotten that he wasn't wearing a shirt, immediately glanced down at his bare chest, pulling a face at the thought of the burns he would probably receive from the bacon fat. He grabbed the closest apron and tied it around his middle, all the while trying to get rid of Hermione who appeared to have realized something was wrong with him and wouldn't leave him alone about it.

Once Hermione had gone, Harry turned back to his pan, loading the freshly cooked kippers onto a serving plate and setting to work on the black pudding.

At the back of the kitchen someone wolf whistled and called 'Good morning sexy,' as another person wrapped their arms tightly around his waist.

"What?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to see that it was Dean who had his arms wrapped around his waist and Ron who had called him 'sexy'.

"Well, you've got that shirtless, frilly apron, domestic goddess look going on, haven't you?" Ron said dryly. "It's _totally sexy_."

Harry snorted at Ron's tone of voice. "You don't need to tell me that I'm sexy, I already know that."

"Sexy? He's positively adorable." Dean said, moving one of his arms from around Harry's middle to pinch his cheek.

"Adorable? You take that back," Harry ordered, swatting Dean with the fork he'd been using to turn the bacon. "I am not adorable, I'm a sexy, manly man, if we were in a relationship I'd definitely top, you're the more effeminate out of the two of us."

"Oh, yeah," Dean said sarcastically finally letting go of Harry. "_I'm _effeminate; just remind me who's the ballet dancer?"

"A manly ballet dancer." Harry said. "Sexy not adorable, you're a painter, that's not manly at all."

"I paint manly things like rocks and knives, and also, I was Othello in my sister's drama club's production and I totally killed that roll. Othello was a manly man."

Harry rolled his eyes, wondering exactly how rocks were a manly thing to draw and said, "You weren't Othello because you're an amazing actor, you were chosen for Othello because all the boys in the drama group are white. You're little sister told me."

"That isn't the point, the point is that I'm definitely manlier, and anyway, if we were both gay you wouldn't be who I'd go for."

Harry wasn't sure if he should be offended by what Dean said or not. "What do you mean you wouldn't go for me? How could you not want to? I'm awesome!"

"You might be awesome but you're also Harry Potter and you have all those fans and stuff, that's way too much competition; I'd want a Neville." Dean shook his head.

"A Neville? Nevilles are scary, they kill basilisks." Harry said, flipping the bacon with his fork and turning the heat of the stove down.

"Nevilles are nice," Dean insisted.

"Nevilles are too nice; I'm still waiting for Neville to turn out to be Voldemort or something. I don't understand how someone could possibly hold so much nice without spontaneously combusting."

"There's still time for that." Ron pointed out darkly.

Harry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what if one day you're snogging nice Neville and he just explodes, you wouldn't be able to escape the blast zone."

"Ugh, is that a euphemism?" Dean asked, looking slightly disturbed.

"No, _no__,_ I don't mean anything like that, I mean properly blow up, like a bomb with blood and guts and brains going everywhere." Harry said gravely.

Dean glanced at the black pudding, turning slightly green and moved to stand next to Harry, avoiding looking at the cooking meat. "No, Neville is too nice to risk killing someone like that."

"Well I'd definitely pick Seamus over you." Harry said with certainty.

Ron and Dean shared a look of amusement. "Big surprise there." Ron said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ron and Dean shared another look and Dean added, "You're kind of slightly obsessed with Seamus."

"'Kind of slightly obsessed'? In what way am I 'kind of slightly obsessed with Seamus'?" Harry asked, frowning at Ron and Dean in confusion. Seamus was definitely a close friend and he did worry about him, but that wasn't quite the same as being 'kind of slightly obsessed' with him_._

"Oh, come off it, you're always on about him." Dean said, rolling his eyes and still refusing to look at the black pudding.

"You're just saying that because I said I wouldn't shag you." Harry said shaking his head.

"You didn't once say you wouldn't shag him; you said you'd pick Seamus as your boyfriend, or something, over him." Ron said in a tone that made Harry wonder whether he was just there to agree with whoever was making the most irritating argument at that point in time.

"Same difference really." Harry shrugged as he emptied the black pudding onto a serving plate and turned to set it on the table, realizing as he did so that most of his family and professors were sitting there pretending that they hadn't just been listening to Harry, Dean, and Ron's conversation.

Forcing a bright grin onto his face and pretending that he had in fact intended for everyone at the table to hear the conversation, Harry set the black pudding on the table, picked up a slice of toast, and leant casually against the refrigerator.

_OOOOO_

"Want to dance, Harry?"Harry accepted Charity's outstretched hand and stood up to join her on the makeshift dance floor in the back garden of the Terrace.

The reception had been in full swing for the past hour and Harry was quite fed up with Seamus who had spent almost the entire time glaring at Cedric as he twirled around on the dance floor with Hermione.

"Of course." Harry grinned putting a hand on Charity's waist and leading her across the dance floor. "You realize you're stuck with us now?" Harry asked, finding himself unable to stop smiling.

"You know, despite that, I don't think I could possibly be any happier." Charity said, allowing Harry to lead her to the middle of the dance floor.

Harry leant towards Charity and said, conspiratorially, "Do you think Sev will mind if we show him up with our mad dancing skills?" He nodded his head to the far side of the dance floor to where Severus was dancing awkwardly with Madam Hooch.

"I think Hermione and Cedric might have already beaten us to the punch." Charity said, nodding to where Hermione was shaking with giggles as Cedric lifted her into the air. "You know, I'm surprised she didn't mention anything sooner."

"Mention what?" Harry asked, narrowly avoiding Dean who had somehow been roped into dancing with Granny Granger.

"She invited him as her plus one, aren't they 'going out' or whatever it is you call it nowadays?"

Harry glanced at Hermione again and shook his head, if they were together both of them would have mentioned something. Hermione told him stuff like that and Harry was fairly certain that Cedric wouldn't betray his trust like that. "No, I don't think they're together; Cedric's far too old for her."

Charity looked unsure about his assurances but didn't say anything else on the subject. Harry continued to watch the dancing duo out of the corner of his eye throughout the dance, wondering whom he would be most annoyed at if it turned out they were together; Hermione, after all, was supposed to tell him everything, and Cedric was, as he had said, too old for Hermione.

Almost as soon as the song ended, Harry thanked Charity for the dance and hurried across the dance floor to ask Hermione to join him for the next song.

The next song began and Harry led Hermione as far away from Cedric as they could get and asked in as quiet a voice as could be heard over the music, "What's going on with you and Cedric?"

Hermione snorted. "Me and Cedric? Don't you think I'd have said something if there was anything between us?"

"Yeah, I did, actually." Harry hissed twirling Hermione. "He's too old for you."

"Too old?" Hermione repeated in incredulity. "He's sixteen and I'm fifteen next month, that's hardly too old."

"He's seventeen in October, that's almost two years between you!"

"I don't think an age difference of two years would bother Cedric much." Hermione said, snorting at her apparent joke.

"You should have said something!" Harry said. "I'm pretty sure Seamus likes you." He nodded over to where Seamus was sitting, now frowning at him.

"Look, Harry, you don't need to worry, I'm not interested in being Cedric's rebound girl."

"Rebound girl? You mean you and Cedric aren't together?" Harry asked, faltering and almost stumbling into Ron.

Hermione sighed. "Yes," She glanced across to the house where Cedric was standing by a table, attempting to make small talk with Hermione's mother. "Look, Cedric said it was okay but I wasn't planning on telling you today-"

"Telling me what?" Harry asked, cutting Hermione off.

"Well, if you were just patient and listened you'd know, wouldn't you?" Hermione hissed back, sidestepping Professor Dumbledore who was leading Aunt Petunia around the dance floor. "Okay, so you know I said Cedric's just been through a nasty breakup?"

"Not in so many words, no."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, you know the person who he was... dating; he finished at Hogwarts last year and broke up with Cedric in favour of his career."

Harry narrowed his eyes and glanced back across at Cedric. "He? You mean he's _gay?_" Harry asked, whispering the last word.

Hermione nodded.

"Why are _you _telling me? Isn't this something Cedric should be telling me himself?" Harry glanced back towards the house, as though worried that Cedric would know they were talking about him.

"He _should_ tell you but he was afraid to and asked me to instead." Hermione said, keeping her voice low in case anyone passing by heard them.

"But why?" Harry asked, frowning over at Cedric again. Cedric was quite a good friend of his and he was pleased that he would want him to know something so important about him, but why would he be _afraid_ to tell Harry?

"Why what, Harry?" Hermione asked carefully, not breaking eye contact with him as they spun further away from the house.

"Why is he afraid to tell me?" Harry asked in the same careful tone as Hermione, trying to keep his voice from betraying that he was hurt by the fact that Cedric was afraid to tell him that he was gay. "Did he think I wouldn't want to be his friend or something?"

"Yes." Hermione said, her hand tightening on Harry's shoulder.

"Yes?" Harry repeated, unable to maintain the calm emotionless tone of voice and turning to glare at Cedric. "How could he think that?"

Hermione put a hand on Harry's cheek to make him face her and hissed, "Keep your voice down!"

"Well, how would you react if you knew that one of your close friends was afraid to tell you they were gay?"

"Harry, just try to look at it from his perspective, in-"

"I am trying to look at it from his perspective, I can understand why he'd be worried to tell me something like that, but afraid? Does he really think so little of me that he's actually _afraid_?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

"Just shut up for a second, Harry, you don't understand how... _delicate_ the situation is." Hermione said, her eyes flashing with annoyance as she tugged him forcefully from the dance floor and into the shadows at the back of the garden.

Harry watched Hermione for several seconds, trying to keep his temper under control. Finally, he tugged his hand free from hers and ground out, "Well, feel free to explain, I'm all ears."

"Well, I suppose the reason he was most worried to tell you is because you're from an old pure-blood family."

"What does blood have to do with anything?" Harry asked, sitting down on the grass and pulling Hermione to his side.

"It has everything to do with it, Harry, most pure-bloods are traditionalists and with that comes the view that the purpose of a relationship is to marry and produce a pure-blood heir."

"And there's no magical way for two blokes to have a kid?" Harry asked wondering how it could be possible he didn't know about any of the pureblood traditionalism but that Hermione did.

Hermione pursed her lips and frowned at Harry as though he should already know the answer to his question. "No, there's no way for two men to conceive a child. How would they carry it and give birth? Magic can do a lot of things, Harry, but it doesn't defy nature."

"But we do defy nature all the time, even with small spells like the hover charm." Harry protested, frustrated with the futility of his argument, Hermione always managed to prove him wrong in the end.

"No, Harry, magic is a force, like gravity, it influences things around it so when you use a hover charm magic is working to make an object float, when you stop applying the charm the object no longer floats. That principle is why transfiguration and love potions aren't permanent. Men can't get pregnant, it's impossible in the same way that resurrecting the dead or creating a true love potion is impossible."

"Well, that's bloody stupid, why should it matter anyway?" Harry asked, finding himself disappointed by the limitations of magic.

"It all links in with the blood-prejudice, the key difference being that blood-prejudice is more deep-rooted whilst the homophobia is a more wide spread belief across the pure-blood and half-blood families." Hermione said.

Harry frowned as he tried to process everything Hermione had told him and wrap his mind around everything that Cedric had to deal with. "So being gay isn't allowed in the wizarding world?" Harry asked, unable to fully understand everything Hermione had told him and finding himself suddenly very angry at the injustice of the wizarding world. "And this is just an accepted belief?"

Hermione nodded. "No one ever said the wizarding world was all good. It's not like the Muggle world is much better; homosexuality has been legal in the UK for nearly thirty years, but it was only legalized in Ireland last year, and same sex adoption and marriage isn't legal anywhere in Europe."

"The Muggle world is willing to change, though. The wizarding world is _our _world, Hermione, a world our families can never truly be a part of and it's not willing to change." Harry gestured towards the house and the dance floor where they could just make out Uncle Vernon dancing with Charity. "Look over there at everyone together, that's not a normal thing; you're parents, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley aren't a part of our world, we're giving up our closeness with them to join a world where muggleborns are treated like second class citizens and being gay is viewed as wrong." Harry said, suddenly realizing what being a member of the wizarding world would mean and how much he would have to give up to be a wizard.

"It is our world, that's why it's our responsibility to change things. This wedding, everyone involved, is all down to you. Do you really think that, without you, Dudley would be friends with our friends? We have a _house__-__elf _sitting on our fence eating wedding cake, in most houses he would be treated worse than a slave but here he's more like a family member, that's because of you. If anyone could bring about the necessary changes it would be you."

Harry shook his head, annoyed by Hermione's enthusiasm. "You're being overly optimistic; everyone here shares similar ideals and beliefs. Just because the bond brought your parents further into the wizarding world, it doesn't make me a vehicle for change. Anyway, I don't know enough about the wizarding world to implement such controversial changes. And whilst I'm all for equality for everyone in the wizarding world, I kind of think that the whole 'neither can live while the other survives' thing is a little bit more important."

"I'm not suggesting that we can do anything now, but if we want things to change, other members of the wizarding world need to accept that some traditions are outdated and unacceptable." Hermione said.

Instantly recognizing Hermione's tone of voice as her going into lecture mode, Harry nodded his head in a placating manner and said, "Yeah, I know... you said Cedric's boyfriend broke up with him in favour of his career, who is he?"

Hermione smiled knowingly and shook her head. "It would be unfair to tell you that, you like him and he had his reasons for what he did, I'd hate for that to mar your opinion of him. And don't think I didn't notice your oh-so-_subtle_ topic change. Just think about it when you're away this week."

"Yeah, all right, then."Harry said without enthusiasm, knowing that once he and Seamus were away from the Terrace all either of them would be thinking about would be Quidditch.

Harry stared at the ground, still unable to comprehend everything he had learnt as he thought of Cedric and his other friends, his mind flickering to Seamus, who had seemed annoyed enough that he had been dancing with Hermione. Harry felt a pang of guilt, realizing how him dancing off into the dark with Hermione would have looked.

"You should probably go back to the dance floor before Charity chucks the flowers." Harry said, brushing grass and dirt from his trousers as he stood up.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and allowed him to help her to her feet. "Don't be too long." Hermione said with a gentle smile.

Harry smiled back certain that even without the bond Hermione would be able to read him like a book. "Do me a favour and dance with Seamus."

Hermione nodded and patted him on the shoulder before heading out onto the dance floor. Once Hermione was out of sight, Harry turned and pulled himself up onto one of the lower branches of the tree behind him.

Harry curled his legs up against his chest, highly disturbed by what Hermione had told him and the realization that he'd never be as close to his family as he was at that point. He wondered how often he'd actually see his family once he'd completed his Hogwarts education and gotten a job. It would be easy to say they'd stay close, but unlike Dudley, he wouldn't be just a phone call away because Muggle technology had no place in his world. The thought frightened Harry, but the worst part of it was the fact that he wasn't actually sure he wanted to belong to the magical world anymore, not if it meant treating people like Cedric and Hermione as second class citizens and losing his family.

Harry slid from the branch he was sitting on and landed on the grass beneath him with a soft _thud_. He made his way around the side of the garden in the shadows. He didn't approve of Cedric having Hermione tell him about him being gay, it seemed almost cowardly, but Cedric was a Hufflepuff, kind, hardworking and loyal, he'd never claimed to be brave.

Once he'd reached the house, Harry spotted Cedric standing alone by the drinks table.

"_So_, got anything you wanna tell me?" Harry asked as he neared him, trying to keep his voice from betraying his disappointment in Cedric being unable to tell him himself.

Cedric, who had obviously not seen Harry approach, jumped at the sound of his voice, spilling the glass of butterbeer he was holding down the front of his shirt. Grabbing a handful of napkins from the table, Cedric attempted to mop up the mess as he turned to face Harry. "What?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, just wondered if you've got anything important to tell me?"

"Didn't Hermione..." Cedric's eyes flicked to where Hermione was dancing with Seamus as his question trailed off.

"I'd prefer it if you told me. Take a risk, mate, wouldn't you prefer to have friends you know will stand by you or just live in the dark with people you may or may not be able to trust?" Harry asked, still hurt by how Cedric had assumed that he would hate him for being gay.

"Fine, if you're going to make me say it; I'm gay, are you happy now?"

"Yeah, I am actually." Harry grinned and pulled Cedric into a hug. "It must have taken some guts to tell me, thanks, mate." Harry let go of Cedric and clapped him on the shoulder. "You wanna dance? I could teach you to do the jive, I'm a brilliant dancer."

_OOOOO_

Harry had noticed on the night before the wedding that Seamus's nightmares hadn't stopped. He'd arrived at the Terrace looking more tired than ever and Harry had lain awake that night watching Seamus try to keep himself awake before succumbing to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

At the World Cup, the two boys were sharing a tiny two-man tent and Harry suspected that the fact that they had to sleep so close together was what was keeping the nightmares at bay, as had seemed to be the case when Sirius had slept at the foot of Seamus's bed. As a result of the lull in Seamus's nightmares, Harry tried to do all he could to keep them from returning whilst they were at the World Cup.

These attempts included taking Seamus and his mother on several long walks up various tors on Dartmoor, running laps of the campsite, and forking out an extortionate number of Galleons to rent a broom and fly in the World Cup stadium, all to make Seamus tired enough to need a proper night's sleep and hopefully ward off nightmares.

It was late afternoon on the last day before the final match of the Quidditch World Cup when Seamus, who had been off somewhere with his mother, clambered into the tent.

"Get some comfortable shoes on, we're off somewhere."

Harry, who had been reading an article in the Prophet about a lead that the Ministry apparently had on Sirius being in Germany, set the paper aside.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as he shuffled towards the entrance of the tent, there wasn't space inside the tent for Harry to put on his shoes whilst both he and Seamus were inside.

Seamus winked at Harry as he shuffled backwards out of the tent. "I think you'll really enjoy it." Seamus answered through the canvas once he was outside.

Harry followed Seamus out of the tent and pulled his shoes on at the entrance. The sky was darkening and the entire area seemed to be completely dead but for a hum of voices in the distance.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked looking around.

Seamus pointed in the direction of the voices where Harry could see a pale flickering light and began walking toward it. "Just down there, we're a bit late."

"Late for what?" Harry asked, trailing behind Seamus as his friend picked up his pace, weaving between tents.

Still grinning, Seamus glanced over his shoulder at Harry. "The Ceili."

"That's a kind of dance, right?" Harry asked, thinking back to his ballet lessons with Hermione who, even at the age of eight, had insisted that if they were going to take dance lessons then they should learn about dances from all cultures.

"I was hoping t' keep you in the dark for longer than that, how'd you know?" Seamus wrinkled his nose in disappointment and Harry immediately felt guilty for ruining Seamus's surprise.

"Hermione." Harry answered honestly.

"Ah, should've guessed."

They subsided into silence as they picked their way across the campsite. As they neared the flickering light, the buzz of voices grew louder and a strange feverish tension seemed to fill the air.

Finally, after what felt like almost ten minutes of walking, Harry and Seamus stepped out into the middle of a huge ring of tents. What must have been every Irish supporter at the World Cup stood in the clearing, which was lit by hundreds of tiny floating lanterns and encircled by several large tables groaning under the weight of traditional Irish stews and various magical and Muggle drinks.

Seamus dragged Harry over to where his mother was standing, chatting to some friends and pressed a glass of lemonade and a bowl of stew into his hand.

"You'd best eat it now, the dancing's about to start." Seamus suggested as someone across the clearing shouted his name.

As Seamus hurried over to speak to the man who had called him, a familiar looking woman, clutching a pint of stout, approached Harry. "Mary tells me you're quite the dancer." She nodded in Seamus's mother's direction.

"Yeah, I used to dance." Harry frowned. "Do I know you? You look familiar."

The woman smiled, looking almost flattered by Harry's recognition. "I was in me last year in Ravenclaw when you started at Hogwarts, me name's Brigid." From her accent, Harry guessed that she was from a different part of Ireland to Seamus's family but other than that had no idea of where she could be from.

"Have you been to a Ceili before?" Harry asked, spooning a piece of mutton into his mouth and chewing quickly in an attempt to not burn his mouth.

"A few, the landlady at a local pub where I live likes to hold them occasionally, 'course spending so much time at Hogwarts I didn't go to many." She smiled and drained her drink. "How about we partner up? If y' can keep up."

Harry grinned and glanced over at where Seamus was talking animatedly to a man who had a banjo under his arm. "Who will Seamus be pairing with though?"

"There's no need to worry about him, he'll be fine." She said brightly, taking Harry's empty bowl and placing it on a nearby table.

Harry glanced from Seamus to Mrs. Finnegan before looking back at Brigid, uncertain about the etiquette for an event like a Ceili. "Uh, all right then, how does it work?"

"It'll be easy enough to work out once we begin, since there's going to be so many people dancing there'll be a caller t' let inexperienced dancers know what to do." She nodded towards a man in bright green wizards robes.

"Right," Harry nodded and took a sip of his drink, feeling somewhat annoyed that Seamus had brought him to the dance and then deserted him to go and chat with other people. He felt completely out of place amongst the Irish supporters and everyone kept shooting him funny looks, which was either because he wasn't welcome or because he was Harry Potter, he wasn't quite sure which. "I think I can manage."

"Good, it's starting."

The sun had completely gone down and whilst Harry had been talking it appeared that someone had cleared all the tables and lit more lanterns. Brigid took Harry by the arm and led him to where they were to start the dance as the other dancers moved into position and those who had opted out of dancing climbed up onto the tables surrounding the clearing.

Once in position, a large group of people clambered up onto the only remaining table, instruments in hand. A single flautist stepped forward and struck up a swift tune and before long the others had all joined in.

Looking around for Seamus, Harry hardly noticed when the dancing began. Brigid grabbed him by the hand and hissed teasingly, "Pay attention, Potter, I thought you could dance!"

Harry caught up with how the dance was supposed to go and before long had almost forgotten that Seamus had vanished. Brigid was a good dancer and Harry found he was more than able to keep up with her as they moved up and down the group.

As Harry and Brigid neared the musician's table the music changed becoming faster as a fiddler stepped forward, taking the lead.

Harry glanced back up at the table and for several seconds his heart seemed to stop dead from the shock of seeing Seamus standing up on the table, at the head of the musicians completely engrossed in playing the fiddle.

Harry froze, unable to take his eyes off Seamus. Surely any minute he would blink and realize that his eyes were playing a trick on him, Seamus _would_ have told him that he was able to play the fiddle. Not that Harry could ever class Seamus's playing as simply being 'able', he'd never seen anything quite so mesmerising in his life, the fiddle seemed like an extension of Seamus's body, his head bent low over the instrument and fingers moving deftly across the fiddle's neck.

As Seamus met Harry's eyes, his cheeks pink with exhilaration, he smiled vibrantly and Harry's stomach gave a strange lurch as though he's missed a step going upstairs.

Harry was snapped out of his daze by Brigid who tugged him by the arm and said, "Keep up, Harry, we're falling behind."

Turning back to his partner, Harry allowed himself to be lead across the dance floor by Brigid. Once back in the middle of the dancing Harry managed to shake most of the confusion felt over Seamus and enjoy the Ceili, only glancing up at the musicians occasionally, still somewhat unable to believe his eyes.

The group dance finished fairly late and was followed by a group of people performing a traditional Irish step dance. By the time all of the dancing had finished it was well into the early hours of the morning and the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol were complaining about the noise.

After several encore performances from the musicians and the step dancers, the event began to wind down with many of the adults conjuring chairs and returning to the food and drink tables.

Seamus, along with the other musicians, gave a final bow before leaping down from the table and hurrying over to Harry and Brigid.

"You wanna head back to the tent?" Seamus asked Harry as he neared him, saluting several people with his bow as they passed and congratulated him on his performance.

Harry shivered, up until that point he hadn't felt how cold it had gotten but now that he'd stopped dancing he could feel a definite chill in the air and wanted nothing more than to return to their tent for a hot chocolate. "Yeah, I'll see you later, Brigid, it was great meeting you."

Brigid smiled and pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek. "It was a pleasure dancing with y', I'll see you both at the game tomorrow." She waved goodbye to them both and headed towards Seamus's mother who was sitting at one of the big tables, conjuring herself a warm cloak as she sat down.

"Is your mum coming back with us?" Harry asked, pausing as Seamus began to walk in the direction of the tents.

"Nah, she'll probably stay to catch up with her friends, no doubt she'll want to quiz Brigid on what she thinks of you." Seamus said, holding his fiddle by the scroll and using it to point in the direction of their tent. "C'mon I'm bloody freezing."

Harry nodded and pulled his robes tightly around himself. "So, why didn't you mention that you play the fiddle?" He asked, tilting his head and, for some reason, finding his secret amusing.

Seamus shrugged and frowned down at his shoes. "I'm not sure, I kinda missed it but didn't really want people to know about it, y' know?"

"Oh, come off it, mate, you can't be embarrassed over that. Not when I do ballet, you were amazing."

Seamus grinned and flung an arm around Harry's shoulder. "Thanks, mate, I wasn't going to play tonight but Des, the one on the banjo kept going on at me. It didn't help that me bloody mam had packed this though." He waved the fiddle, which was in the hand not around Harry's shoulder, in front of himself and snorted. "Can't say I didn't enjoy it, though."

"How long have you been playing for?" Harry asked, glancing over at Seamus, still too much in awe of his talent to be annoyed at him for keeping it a secret.

"Me mam likes to say I've been playing since I was born, but I think I first started trying to learn when I was three, me Granda used to play and I reckon I picked it up from him." Seamus said softly, looking down at the instrument in his hand. "This was his, y' know? Had it since he was a kid, I got it when I was ten, when he died."

"Well, you were wonderful, completely outshone the others." Harry said, squeezing Seamus's shoulder comfortingly and almost tripping over a nearby tent's guy rope as he looked over at Seamus.

"I think you may be bias." Seamus said, nudging Harry into a nearby tent with his shoulder.

"Hey, the sentiment is still there, mate, don't put yourself down. I'll book you to play fiddle at every big event I have from now on, when we graduate Hogwarts, when I get married, and... well, I can't think of any more events off the top of my head, but you know what I mean." Harry said, nudging Seamus back and dancing out of his reach as the other boy took a swing at his shoulder.

Seamus snorted and shook his head at Harry. "Good t' know, mate, but the deal's only on if you do some ballet at every big event in _my _life."

"That's fine by me; no one'll marry you, anyway, you're too mental."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

The morning of the Quidditch match was the hottest of the week and both Harry and Seamus had opted to stay in the dark tent rather than go outside, where the air was so thick and muggy that it was difficult to breathe. Both boys had spent several hours after the dance drinking hot chocolates laced with Muggle whiskey, which Seamus had liberated from one of the drink tables, and regardless of the heat, would probably have been too tired to go anywhere anyway.

Around midday the heat became too much for Harry, even inside the tent.

"Right, I'm off for an ice cream, you want one while I'm getting one?" Harry asked as he shuffled feet first out of the tent.

Seamus, who had been plucking strings on his fiddle to make a tune, propped himself up on his elbows and set the instrument aside. "Yeah, go on then, I'll have-"

"Yeah, I know, blackcurrant and liquorice." Harry said pulling a face, the liquorice ice cream was the same colour and consistency of tar and, in Harry's opinion didn't taste much better.

Seamus grinned and picked up his instrument, saluting Harry with the bow before lying back down and striking up a tune.

"See you later, then." Harry grabbed his money bag and ducked out of the tent.

It was hot outside the tent, much hotter than Harry had expected, and the only thing that stopped him ducking back into the tent was the whisper of a breeze through the trees on the campsite. Stuffing his money into the pocket of his jeans, Harry set off across the campsite in the direction of the ice cream stand.

The campsite was busier than Harry had ever seen it, with most people out enjoying the hot day and hundreds flooding into the campsite before the final match that evening.

Harry joined the end of the long queue for the ice cream stand and began to wait, watching as everyone else on the campsite went about their business around him. Occasionally, people would stop and look at him, their eyes flicking up to the scar on his forehead before hurrying on with whatever they needed to be doing. It seemed enough to them to just have seen 'the-boy-who-lived' without stopping for a chat; that is, until a tall man wearing a thick Muggle hooded sweatshirt joined the queue behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

Harry turned and the man's eyes flicked to the scar on his forehead. "You are Harry Potter?" He asked.

From his accent Harry guessed that the man was Bulgarian which might have explained the hoodie, Harry wasn't entirely sure, since geography had never really been his strongest subject, but he supposed that the weather must be quite different there.

Harry frowned in confusion. "Yeah I am, I thought Voldemort was only known in Britain?"

"Even in Bulgaria ve have heard about him. You have heard of Grindlevald, yes?" He asked, looking to Harry for confirmation.

"Yeah, but Dumbledore, my headmaster, was the one to defeat him... it's on his Chocolate Frog card." Harry added.

The man laughed. "Vot you have done is known across the vorld, Durmstrang teaches more about the Dark Arts than your Hogvarts. Ve are taught about your defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and how you survived."

Harry froze, horror-struck; he didn't know that he could ever look anyone from Durmstrang in the eye after that revelation. It was bad enough that every wizard in Britain knew who he was, but that he was taught about at Durmstrang was just embarrassing.

As though sensing Harry's embarrassment, the man quickly changed topics. "I saw you have been in the paper a lot this veek."

Harry winced, the man had somehow managed to move the conversation onto the only thing more mortifying than the fact he was on the syllabus at Durmstrang. "A lot? I stopped getting them after the first one."

"There vos pictures of you flying, and many things about vot you have been doing here vilst vating for the Vorld Cup final." He said as though filling Harry in on what he had missed before adding, "You look to fly vell in the pictures."

"Uh, thanks." Harry said, running a hand through his hair. Someone from the prophet had been taking pictures of him all week, ever since they'd first heard that Harry Potter was at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry had no idea why they were bothering since they were hardly short of things to write about in the lead up to the World Cup, but it seemed that some people would rather read about what Harry was doing to kill time rather than important Quidditch related articles.

"You are supporting Ireland?" The man asked, eying the Ireland Quidditch t-shirt Seamus's mum had made for them to wear to the match.

"Yeah, hard not to be when you're staying over there," Harry pointed in the direction of where he was staying which looked like hundreds of small, green hills. "They've got a pretty good chance at winning though, Lynch might not be the favourite to catch the Snitch but Connolly and Quigley are amazing Beaters. I saw them training in the stadium the other day, and if they play as well as they did the other day, Lynch might just be able to get the Snitch."

"Lynch is a good Seeker, von of the better I have seen." The man said fairly with a shrug.

"But not the best, then again, no one's seen a team of Chasers work together like Troy, Mullet, and Moran since the Varma triplets took the 1986 World Cup for India."

"Vere you even born then?" The man asked with a smirk, raising a thick eyebrow.

"Yes, I was six but I've read up on all the big games, there's a load of papers, photographs and diagrams that my head of house keeps in the team changing room for us." Even without Wood insisting that they should all have a look at the old documents Harry had found them fascinating, which he had always put down to Hermione's research obsessed influence on him.

"Of course," The man said, before adding with a grin, "I vos at the match, Germany hosted the cup and my father got us tickets through his vork."

When the duo reached the front of the line the ice cream vendor seemed to be dumbstruck as he looked from the man, to Harry, and then up at Harry's scar; it was an unusual reaction to meeting Harry but not completely unheard of, a man had once feinted because Harry had asked him the time.

Eventually they managed to coax the price of the ice creams from the ice cream man and, despite Harry's protests, the Bulgarian paid for the three he had ordered and Harry's two.

Harry bade the Bulgarian man a friendly 'goodbye' before heading towards the tent at a run so as to reach it before the ice creams melted.

_OOOOO_

Harry and Seamus made their way to the edge of the forest, where they were hoping to find an elusive breeze, to eat their ice creams.

Sitting on a low branch of a tree, Harry took the chance to check in on Hermione. The week of separation between them had caused some tension within the bond; despite his excitement over the match, Harry was looking forward to it being over so that he could go back home to her.

After they'd eaten their ice creams, Harry and Seamus set off at a slow walk around the campsite, hoping to find Ron, Neville, and Dean who had been set to arrive at some point that morning.

On their walk, they came across Cedric and his father, who told them that they'd arrived with the Weasley party and pointed them in the direction of the Weasley tent.

"Wow, I know that you like Diggory and everything but his Dad's a bit of a dick." Seamus said quietly as they walked away from the Cedric's tent.

Harry shrugged, Cedric's dad did seem like a bit of an idiot, even Hermione had said so after meeting him. "I suppose so... but then again the only people I spend time with who have dads are Dudley, Ron and Hermione so it's hard to compare, maybe most dads are a bit, y'know, dickish."

"Mine definitely is, but I don't reckon it's normal," Seamus shook his head in disgust at the thought of his father. "You're Uncle Vernon's not anything like that though."

Harry snorted, wondering how Seamus had got that impression. "Oh, he can be a complete arse when he wants to be. I got a million letters from him telling me how brilliant it was that Dud got on the rugby team in first year and he spent the first week of the holidays bragging to everyone who would listen that me and Dud were set to be famous sports players. Once some random bloke in the street congratulated me on getting onto the 'cricket' team, because Uncle Vernon had told everyone in the pub that I made school the team."

"Nah, mate, that's kinda nice that he cares. Diggory's dad does it in a way like he's trying to make you feel bad for not worshiping the ground Diggory walks on. He didn't even react properly to you being Harry Potter."

"Didn't react properly?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow as they walked back past their tent in the direction of where they hoped the Weasleys would be. "Whilst I appreciate your indignation, Shay, I'd actually prefer it if they didn't react at all. But yeah, you're right about the worshiping thing, Cedric _did_ look embarrassed by it all."

"If people are going to notice who you are then they should be properly impressed, I mean you have defeated you-know-who three times, that's got to be a record." Seamus said, his voice almost mocking.

Harry rubbed his scar, remembering the dream he'd had before Severus's wedding. "Yeah, well, let's hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon."

"I don't know, I think your adoring fans are forgetting about you, this is the first day this week that, that camera wielding madman hasn't been following you." Seamus said, looking around as though to check that there were in fact no photographers following them.

"It's because they're following all the Quidditch players around. I'm old news; no one wants to read about Harry Potter eating his fourth ice cream of the week when you can find out about what Aidan Lynch has been up to." Harry said with a shrug, glad that the Quidditch players would be the focus of the next morning's Prophet.

As they passed under a giant Bulgarian flag Harry stopped dead as he saw the posters which adorned the tents.

"What's up?" Seamus asked, stumbling into Harry and narrowly avoiding falling into a nearby tent.

Harry closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I think I might have met Viktor Krum this afternoon." Harry said, finally unable to look Seamus in the eye. "He bought us our ice creams."

"But you know what Krum looks like; we walked past these tents on our second morning here." Seamus said, looking genuinely confused by what Harry had said.

"No, _you_ did, _I_ stayed in the tent because that photo of me walking to the toilet block in just my underpants was in the paper and I didn't want to go out." Harry said dryly, wondering if it was actually possible for someone to die from embarrassment.

"But how didn't you know it was Krum?" Seamus asked frowning at Harry in disbelief.

"I don't know, looking back on it, it makes sense why he was wearing the hoodie and why the bloke at the ice cream stand was so amazed." Harry said.

"So what did you talk about?"

"Uh, old Quidditch games and stuff, y'know, the Varma triplets... and I think I kind of hinted that it would be good if Connolly and Quigley hit him with bludgers." Harry scratched his forehead, already horrified at what Ron would say to him when he found out. "I didn't know who he was, all right?"

"Yeah, but come on, he's the most famous Quidditch player in the world and you talked to him about the bloody _Varma __t__riplets_?" Seamus asked, pursing his lips in an attempt to hide his amusement.

"They're well known to be the most successful Chaser team ever." Harry said defensively, not liking how Seamus was just itching to laugh at him. "And I didn't know he was Krum, I've never been to an actual Quidditch match and you don't exactly get to see what the players look like on the bloody radio. I thought he was just some bloke who fancied a chat... He said he saw the pictures of us flying and thought I flew well."

"You're kidding me? _Viktor Krum_ told you that you fly well, that's like having Merlin compliment your wand work. What did you say?"

"Uh, thanks I think, what else do you say when strangers praise you?"

"I don't really get praised by strangers." Seamus said with an apologetic shrug.

"Really?" Harry asked finding it hard to believe Seamus. "You must have been praised by a few strangers... or at least complimented"

Seamus raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "You're not even kidding are you? People don't generally go up to strangers in the street and tell them how brilliant they are."

Harry shook his head struggling to believe Seamus, his entire life he'd had people he'd never met before walking up to him in the street and speaking to him and he found it rather difficult to believe that this didn't happen to other people as well. "Look, I get people know who I am and stuff, but surely _some_ strangers have complimented you in the street or something?"

"Nope, it just doesn't happen to normal people, Harry." Seamus said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Harry raised his arms in indignation, he was a normal person and it wasn't that weird that people talked to him in the street, people did it to Dudley and Hermione all the time.

When Harry voiced his thoughts, Seamus shook his head again, rolled his eyes and said, "Well, of course, all of your admirers have all probably seen you together and recognize them, it's probably all just to get into your good graces."

"You're so bloody cynical, that's probably why strangers don't compliment you."

The expression Seamus pulled made him look as though he was trying to swallow a particularly large pill; he opened his mouth and closed it several times before finally saying. "Sometimes I wonder how, after spending half of your life in the company of Hermione Granger, you could possibly be so bloody thick."

"Sometimes I wonder how _you_ could possibly be so bloody cynical... and mean." Harry said, folding his arms over his chest.

Harry and Seamus eventually found the Weasleys, Dean and Neville lounging outside their two tents chatting excitedly and drinking tea.

Percy, who was the first to see them, leapt to his feet, closely followed by Ron, and darted towards them.

Harry held out his hand to shake Percy's but was surprised by his older friend pulling him into a hug instead.

"Perce, how are you, mate?" Harry asked, looking Percy up and down once he had been released. It had been a month since Harry had last seen Percy and already he looked taller, his hair had been cut short and he seemed to carry himself in a somewhat relaxed manner, which contrasted greatly with the pretentiously dignified way in which he used to walk. "You've cut your hair off."

Percy ran a hand over his short hair and shrugged. "Auror Moody said that dark wizards fight dirty, if it's short there's less to set on fire or pull. Auror Moody says that kind of split second distraction could mean the difference between life and death."

Harry frowned. "I thought you were being trained by Kingsley Shacklebolt?"

"He is, but Perce had some training with old Mad-Eye and now he idolises him." A man said stepping up behind Percy, grabbing him in a headlock and grinning at Harry. He held out the hand that wasn't wrapped around his brother's neck and added, "Bill Weasley, you must be Harry, everyone at home's been talking about you."

"It's great to meet you; Ron and Ginny are always talking about you at school." Harry said, shaking Bill's hand, before gesturing to Seamus. "This is-"

"Seamus Finnegan." Bill finished with a nod offering his hand for Seamus to shake. "They talk a lot about you too."

Once Harry and Seamus had been properly introduced to Bill, and then to Charlie, they settled onto the grass so as to catch up on the events of the past week. Seamus took great delight in telling everyone first how Harry had been photographed in only his underwear and then how he'd had a whole conversation with Viktor Krum without knowing who he was.

"So how did you manage to get today off?" Harry asked Percy, uninterested in the retelling of his story. "I thought the Auror programme has a really strict training schedule."

"The schedule is fairly strict, but not unfair, if the match lasts any longer than a day I'll have to leave to go to work." Percy shrugged. "Even though I'm not technically on duty there's an expectation that, as an Auror, I will act to neutralize any possible threats that may arise. Auror Moody says that an Auror is always on duty and therefore we must always be vigilant."

"What will you be doing when you go back?" Harry asked.

"Auror Shacklebolt has arranged for me to spend a week working with the Minister's personal bodyguards, and then I'll be at Azkaban for a few days monitoring the guards before going out into the field to train with the Hit Wizards." Percy said cheerfully, crossing his legs and taking a drink of tea from the mug on the floor next to him. "It's great having the day off though, you wouldn't believe how exhausting the training can be."

"So how far into your training are you?" Harry asked, by the sound of it Percy was soaking in everything the senior Aurors had to teach him and seemed to be rather enjoying his new career.

"The training programme to become a fully-fledged Auror is supposed to be four years, but since the requirements to even be accepted into training are so high it's assumed that all trainees will either pass in under four years or drop out, so I'm not really sure how far into it I am. It's not like school where you learn over a set period of time, we have to go to certain sessions but the training halls are always open-"

"Which means Perce doesn't come home until Dad makes him." Fred said as he and George sat down on the floor next to Harry.

Percy made an indignant huffing noise and said, "You don't just become a good Auror overnight; it takes years of sharpening your skills and I've only just begun. Last year Harry and I spent every spare hour duelling and flying, and even then I only just got accepted."

Fred held up his hands in surrender and said. "Hey, we weren't insulting you-"

"We really are proud of what you've managed-" George said.

"Who'd have guessed that you'd be the cool older brother?" Fred added.

"You'll be a brilliant Auror-"

"Probably the one to catch Black." Fred finished with a grin.

Percy shot Harry a look of wide-eyed amusement as the twins continued to obliviously sing Percy's praises.

_OOOOO_

Harry sat with the Ireland supporters for the match and so was warned by Mrs. Finnegan to put his fingers in his ears when the Veela came onto the pitch. Harry hadn't been able to resist taking his fingers out of ears and peeking at them, but had found that they had no affect on him, in fact if he was being completely honest they were actually a bit odd looking. He imagined that his view on the Veela was due to the bond and Hermione's mental influence, allowing to him to see through their charms.

That night the Irish supporters held a party, in the clearing used the previous night for the Ceili, to celebrate their success. As the celebrations got underway Seamus managed to persuade his mother to allow him and Harry to each have a drink of Firewhiskey.

After several hours of dancing and discussing the intricacies of the game with supporters who were becoming increasingly drunk as the night progressed, Harry and Seamus made their way back to the tent so that they could get something to eat.

The party was still raging at the back of the campsite as Harry and Seamus collected together a meal of leftover biscuits, crisps, chocolates, and a bottle of butterbeer before changing into their pyjamas to enjoy their 'almost midnight snack'.

The tent was barely big enough for the two of them but they somehow managed to get themselves in, in a way that allowed them both to sit up to enjoy their food.

"So what is it that Muggles do on campin' trips like this?" Seamus asked, sandwiching a piece of chocolate between two crisps.

"I'm not sure, Aunt Petunia doesn't like camping, but on the telly they tell ghost stories." Harry said, trying to recall every film he'd ever seen with people camping in it.

Seamus snorted derisively. "Ghost stories? Like how Nick nearly lost his head or the Fat Friar's story? That doesn't sound all that fun, mate."

Despite Seamus growing up in a Muggle area, Harry had forgotten how out of touch wizards could be with the Muggle world. "Well, I suppose it's different for Muggles since they don't actually know that ghosts exist, but even then, 'ghost story' is just what Muggles call scary stories."

"Like what?"

"Vampires, werewolves... witches." Harry winced; he hadn't really realized how silly something like 'ghost stories' would sound to wizards. "They don't actually know that magic exists though."

"So do you know any ghost stories?" Seamus asked looking interested. "It's weird isn't it, how different Muggles are? Me dad's a Muggle an' everythin', but every time I come to your house I learn somethin' new about them."

"Yeah, well, I feel the same way about the wizarding world, even after having Sev around my entire life, things keep surprising me." Harry said, cramming an entire chocolate digestive into his mouth.

Seamus wrinkled his nose but didn't say anything to voice his dislike for Severus. "Yeah, me an' Hermione have talked about that, we always thought that there should be somethin' like Muggle studies, but not Muggle studies for Muggle raised students. It'd make everythin' so much easier fer everyone."

Harry nodded and swallowed his mouthful of biscuit. "Why haven't you suggested it to McGonagall?"

"It'd be hard to do, some stuff would just be hard to tell 'em, I mean how do you tell an eleven-year-old that most of the wizarding world is gonna hate 'em just 'cause of their blood status?" Seamus asked shaking his head. "It'd probably frighten them all away."

"It's bad enough moving away from your family to come to a school you've never heard of before, but to then find out about the prejudice, people like Malfoy should be ashamed." Harry said in disgust. "It makes me sick."

"Percy 'll sort 'em all out." Seamus said with certainty. "People from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are always the ones who become Minister for Magic, he could be our next Minister. _He _wouldn't let gits like Malfoy get away with blood prejudice... or any other prejudice."

"You're getting a bit ahead of yourself; Perce has barely started his training."

"You've been training him for the past year." Seamus pointed out, opening the butterbeer.

"I'm _thirteen_, I'm not old enough to train anyone."

"You turned fourteen the other week and Percy said himself that he didn't think he'd have been accepted without your help."

Harry rolled his eyes, why was it that everyone, even his best friends, over exaggerated everything he did. "Oh, come on, he's almost five years older than me, that's a big difference in magical skill. I just taught him a few spells I already knew."

"You're pretty powerful, though; you blasted apart a basilisk face." Seamus said with a smile.

Harry took the butterbeer from Seamus and took a mouthful. "That's only because of the-" Harry cut himself off by taking another mouthful of butterbeer, he'd very nearly said that his magical power was because of his soul bond. "Because of all the practice I did."

Seamus grinned and took the butterbeer back. "Idiot."

Harry was about to retort when a frantic looking Mrs. Finnegan poked her head through the tent flap. "Boy's y' need to leave the tent right now."

Seamus looked up at his mother in surprise. "What d' you mean?"

"Y' need t' go, now. There's a riot, Death Eaters, they're levitating the campsite owner. Y' need to head towards the forest."

Harry had leapt off his camp bed as soon as Mrs. Finnegan had mentioned the Death Eaters, but Seamus was still frowning up at his mother with a gormless look on his face. "What do y' mean 'you', what're y' going to do?"

"I'll need t' be on hand, they'll need Obliviators for the Muggles." Mrs. Finnegan said, pulling Seamus up by his pyjama shirt. "Get off y' arse and _move_."

Harry grabbed his wand and shoes and clambered out of the tent past Mrs. Finnegan. In the distance Harry could see a group of figures dressed in black with four pale figures floating above their heads. The rioters were blasting tents away and burning everything else that they passed.

"Seamus, we really should go." Harry said, taking his eyes of the group of men to look back at the tent. "They're coming this way."

Harry and Seamus set off at a run towards the forest. Harry tried to pull on his shoes and didn't notice as he and Seamus ran straight into Mr. Weasley and tumbled to the floor.

"Harry, Seamus, are you all right?" Mr. Weasley asked, straightening his glasses as he helped them to their feet.

"Yeah, thanks, Mr. Weasley." Harry said as he climbed back to his feet. "Where's everyone else?"

"Bill, Charlie, and Percy have split up to help the Ministry. You should head to the forest, that's where the boys and Ginny have gone; try to stay together and I'll come find you all when it's over. Do you have your wands?"

The two boys nodded and Mr. Weasley pointed them towards the nearest path into the forest and ordered them to run as fast as they could and not stop until they were deep into the forest.

Harry and Seamus joined the hundreds of people swarming away from the rioters. They got deeper and deeper into the forest and the swarm thinned as people headed in different directions, seeking out friends and family members.

They kept running until the sound of the riot had become almost inaudible. Harry slowed to a jog, not noticing until that point that he was completely alone, Seamus having been lost in the confusion of the crowd.

"_Lumos_." Harry looked around, he'd gone so deep into the forest that he couldn't see anyone.

When he'd last checked in with Hermione she'd been getting ready to go out for a meal with their family to celebrate Severus and Charity's return from their honeymoon. Harry decided that it would be a good idea to close the bond to her, lest she find him wandering around the forest and end up worrying everyone else.

He stopped to properly tie his shoelace before turning back the way he had come and looking for the path. It was too dark to see anything properly so Harry decided he would be safer, and easier to find if he stayed where he was.

Piling broken branches and sticks into a heap Harry dropped to the floor next to them, deciding that now would be as good a time as any to practice the Incendio charm.

Harry pointed his wand at the heap of sticks and said. "_Incendio_."

The sticks made a crackling sound but didn't light.

It took three attempts for him to properly cast the spell before the sticks went up in a bright blaze of flame. Feeling particularly pleased with himself, Harry couldn't help but grin as he warmed his hands near the flames.

Harry had been sitting by the fire for almost five minutes when he heard the soft _crunch_ of footsteps on the forest floor.

Clutching his wand tightly, Harry extinguished the fire and backed slowly away from whoever was coming towards him. He ducked behind a tree and watched as a man stumbled out of the forest towards the remains of Harry's fire.

From the way he was walking, the man looked to be in pain. Harry stepped out from behind the tree and edged towards him, lighting his wand as he approached.

The man looked up as soon as the tip of Harry's wand flared into light and seemed to recognize him. He took a faltering step towards Harry and stopped, looking around in annoyance.

His whispered apology carried across the gap between them, he then turned and said something about his father that didn't carry quite as well. There was a muffled squeak from nowhere as the man hissed a spell.

The spell disorientated Harry, for a second it seemed as though the entire forest was illuminated by a blinding green light, a loud rushing noise came from the man's wand and as the light receded Harry could feel a darkness, which he recognized as the taint of dark magic.

It wasn't until Harry heard the soft thud of something small hit the ground, that he fully understood what had happened. He took a step backwards, watching in horror as the man lifted something off the ground, revealing the tiny body of a house elf.

He took another step backwards and the man leapt at him, no longer appearing to be in pain.

Harry tumbled backwards over a fallen branch and the man landed on him. It wasn't until the man was on top of him that Harry recognized him, he'd seen his photograph several times on visits to the Longbottom's house. Neville's grandmother kept several old newspapers in one of the downstairs studies and this man was unmistakably Barty Crouch Jr., who, along with Sirius's cousin Bellatrix, had been convicted of torturing Neville's parents to insanity.

As the realization dawned on Harry, he forgot all about his wand and any other form of magical combat and kicked out as hard as he could. Crouch staggered backwards and Harry lunged at him, punching him in the face as hard as he could. There was a loud, sickening crunch as Harry's fist impacted with Crouch's face and Harry fell backwards, feeling a horrible sharp pain shoot up his arm.

Crouch dropped, clutching a hand to his broken nose as Harry clambered to his feet, feeling a grim sense of satisfaction as he watched blood pour from Crouch's nose, staining the front of his robes red.

His hand was definitely broken, for the moment the pain was dulled, but as he looked down he could see the lump of bone trying to break through his skin and as he tightened his hand around the wand it made a strange grinding noise which made Harry feel sick.

Sucking in a deep breath to steady himself Harry tried to level his wand at Crouch. "You're supposed to be dead."

Crouch smiled and stood up, whilst Harry had been trying to stand up with a broken hand, Crouch had managed to magically repair his nose. "I could say the same for you, Potter, how is it that you survived the Dark Lord's curse?" He looked down at the blood on his robes. "You evidently don't have much skill with defensive magic if you feel the need to resort to Muggle duelling." The way Crouch said 'Muggle duelling' left Harry in no doubt that Crouch despised muggles.

Despite his broken hand Harry itched to smack the smile off Crouch's face and show him just how effective 'Muggle duelling' could be.

"Now, Potter, I'd like you to come with me." Crouch said softly. "I am, and shall always remain, the Dark Lords most loyal supporter; this will be proved when I deliver you to him."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, that's not going to happen and you can't make me either; you can't force someone to go anywhere by sidelong Apparition."

"I could if you were dead."

"Yeah and Voldemort is going to like that is he? I know he thinks he has to be the one to kill me." Harry said, he was beginning to feel the pain of his broken hand and every time he tried to move it a jolt of pain shot up his arm, making it difficult for him to not let Crouch know that if it came to a duel between them he'd be almost useless. "You kill me now, Crouch, and if Voldemort does ever return, you'll not be hailed as his most loyal supporter. You'll be lucky if he doesn't kill you."

"Don't worry about me, Potter." Crouch said with a friendly smile, which twisted into a fierce glare. "Crucio."

Harry had realized what Crouch was about to do a second before he cast the spell and dropped to the floor, the pain in his arm causing darkness to build in the edges of his vision. His broken right hand was refusing to cooperate and properly grip his wand so Harry had to use his left hand.

"_Stupefy__, Expelliarmus, Impedimenta!" _Harry roared. Despite Crouch not moving an inch, none of the spells hit their target, instead rebounding off rocks and trees and leaving two huge craters in the forest floor.

Crouch laughed as Harry once again tried to disarm him and was about to take a step towards Harry when they both heard someone running very quickly through the undergrowth. Deciding that, even if it was another Death Eater, it couldn't get much worse for him, Harry cupped his good hand around his mouth and bellowed, "Over here, help there's-"

Harry stopped shouting and let out a roar of pain, dropping to the floor as Crouch kicked him in the back of the leg in an attempt to shut him up. It was too late, the running person seemed to be coming closer and a very recognizable voice shouted back. "Harry?"

Harry didn't get a chance to call back before the red-haired man dove out of the trees and onto the path where Crouch was attempting to pull Harry to his feet.

He stopped dead, wand in hand, as he looked at the dead house-elf before spotting Crouch. Harry realized what would happen as soon as the man paused; Crouch already had his wand pointed him.

Harry bellowed for the man to turn back, for him to hide, to duck behind a tree, but even as Harry was shouting the sickly green light was speeding from Crouch's wand, illuminating the look of dawning horror on the man's face. The rushing sound of death filled Harry's ears and once again, he could feel the darkness of the Killing Curse on the air.

The man didn't have time to turn back, he didn't have time to hide, or to duck behind a tree. The spell was unexpected, too fast to allow any time for him to react. It hit him in the chest and Harry watched as the life faded from his eyes and his body crumpled to the floor.

Harry couldn't move, he felt like his heart must have stopped, and yet he could feel it pounding in his ears as he fought the urge to throw up. For a strange second, Harry wondered what Dudley would have seen, would he have seen the man's soul leave his body or would his aura simply have vanished as the curse hit him?

His throat was burning and tears were already beginning to roll down his cheeks. He didn't fight as Crouch grabbed him by his pyjama top and dragged him to the red-haired man's corpse. He could do nothing but choke back a sob as Crouch snatched up the man's glasses which had fallen from his face.

Harry's legs finally gave out and he collapsed to the floor next to the corpse, not doing anything as Crouch turned the glasses into a Portkey. He knew what was coming now but didn't fight it; it seemed pointless now, now he'd seen how easily life could be taken.

As Crouch grabbed Harry's arm he felt the tug of Portkey travel as darkness descended upon him.

**A/N:** Thanks to my beta Bitch Goddess. Hopefully now that I've finished Uni updates will be more regular so there shouldn't be too much of a wait for the next chapter.

Thanks

Beksta x


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Harry felt Crouch let go of him as they slammed into the ground. He didn't know how far they'd travelled, they could be in the next town over or they could have travelled hundreds of miles, all he knew for certain was that it was dark and they were in an old, overgrown graveyard.

He lay sprawled on the ground, still trying to comprehend what had just happened, but before his mind had managed to properly catch up, he felt Crouch drag him to his feet with surprising strength for a man who should have spent the past thirteen years in Azkaban.

Crouch didn't look at Harry as he dragged him to a nearby headstone and slammed him hard against it. Harry let out a shout of pain as his head collided with the stone behind him. Crouch took his wand and used it to conjure tight cords around Harry, tying him from his neck to his ankles to the headstone_._

Crouch looked Harry up and down, ensuring that he was tied securely to the headstone, and smirked. "Wait here, Potter." He said before turning and disappearing into the gloom of the graveyard.

Harry wasn't sure how long he spent tied to the headstone; it could have been just a few minutes or maybe an hour. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back, blocking out everything as he focused on keeping the bond closed, if Crouch tried the Cruciatus Curse on him again then he couldn't let it hurt Hermione. Maybe later, _if_ he could find out where he was, he'd open the bond and try to get a message to her.

Eventually, Harry heard soft footsteps as someone made their way back towards him. Squinting into the darkness he managed to make out Crouch and a small cloaked figure that appeared to be carrying a tiny bundle.

As the pair drew nearer Harry's scar exploded in pain, his knees buckled and he felt the ropes cut into him as he writhed, trying to release his hand so he could cup his face to stop his skull fron splitting open.

Harry could barely process what was going on; the small cloaked man had dragged a cauldron towards Harry whilst Crouch was complaining loudly about the riot at the World Cup and how the rioters were 'unfaithful' and 'deserving of punishment'.

The small man walked over to where he had put the bundle and unwrapped it, Harry let out a yell of disgust, the thing from the bundle looked like a warped copy of a human child, it was thin with reddish skin and a flat face. He wanted to close his eyes but found himself unable to look away as the small man lifted the monster and dropped it into the cauldron. There was a soft thud as it hit the bottom.

Harry stared at the cauldron, willing the creature to drown. His scar was burning more than ever but he continued staring at the cauldron, urging the thing to stay under the water.

The small man stepped forward and held up his wand, looking down at a small crumpled piece of parchment.

"_Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"_

_The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Horrified, Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at _the small man's _command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue._

The man looked back down at the parchment and began to whimper, his hands shaking as he pulled a long silver dagger from inside his robes.

"_F_-_flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master."_

He stretched out an arm and Harry could see from the light coming from the cauldron that it had a missing finger. The man gripped the dagger tightly and brought it up and then down again in an arc.

Harry closed his eyes a second before the dagger made contact with the man's arm. There was a splash and Harry opened his eyes to see the small man drop to the floor clutching his bleeding stump to his chest. The small man somehow managed to clamber back to his feet and stumble over to Harry.

He looked Harry up and down and gulped, there was a flicker of something in his eyes and Harry was certain that he'd seen the man somewhere before. Before Harry could say anything the man let out a breath and stuttered,

_"B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe."_

As the man slowly brought the knife up Harry shuddered as a voice in his mind whispered instructions to him in a very Hermione-ish way.

He acted before he'd properly processed the information; he didn't struggle as the man held the knife against him, instead pressing his arm against the blade, forcing it to pierce his skin and wriggling so that the cut opened wider. Blood welled on Harry' arm and the man collected it in a small glass vial.

_He staggered back to the cauldron with Harry's blood. He poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, blinding white. _

_The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness._ The colour dimmed, turning a dull brown colour before slowly turning back to a pale grey colour.

_And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see anything but vapour hanging in the air._

But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.

"Robe me." He ordered in a high, cold voice.

The small man slowly clambered to his feet, still whimpering and clutching his bleeding stump.

Crouch stepped forward and pushed the small man back to the ground. Despite his part in what had just happened, Harry couldn't help but feel pity for the small man as he let out a moan of agony, curling into a tight ball and sobbing pitifully.

Crouch didn't look back at the small man, instead picking up the black robes off the ground and pulling them over his master's head before dropping to the floor in a low bow and whispering reverently, "My Lord."

Voldemort gestured for Crouch to rise and placed a hand on his shoulder. Rather than being repulsed at Voldemort's touch, as Harry would have been, Crouch looked ecstatic that his lord had touched him.

"Lord Voldemort rewards those who are loyal to him, remember that, Barty. Those who abandoned me when I was most at need will receive what they deserve, Lord Voldemort always remembers."

Crouch nodded and dropped to his knees. "Thank you, my Lord."

As Crouch shuffled backwards away from Voldemort, his place at Voldemort's feet was taken by the small man whose robes were now shining with blood.

"_My Lord…" he choked, "my Lord… you promised… you did promise…"_

"_Hold out your arm," said Voldemort lazily._

"_Oh Master… thank you, Master…"_

_He extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again._

"_The other arm, Wormtail."_

Harry couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his mouth as he struggled against the ropes tying him to the headstone. In front of him, right now, were the two men responsible for his parent's murders and he hadn't even recognized one of them.

Voldemort looked up, tilting his head and surveying Harry with interest. "You _didn't_ recognize him?"

Harry ignored Voldemort, too intent on breaking free and killing Peter Pettigrew; broken hand or not, Harry intended on wrapping both hands around Pettigrew's neck and strangling the life out of him. And then, once he was done with Pettigrew he'd kill Crouch, but not before making him suffer for what he'd done, he owed that to Neville and the Weasleys.

"It's a pity I have to kill you tonight, Harry Potter; otherwise, I'd have relished the chance for the two of you to catch up. I wonder if you could kill our dear friend Wormtail or if you would prove yourself to be as weak as you were the last time we met." Voldemort looked Harry up and down and smiled.

"Wormtail, your arm."

_Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw something upon the skin there, something like a vivid red tattoo - a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth._ _Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollable weeping._

"_It is back,"_ _he said softly, "they will all have noticed it… and now, we shall see… now we shall know…"_

_He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Wormtail's arm._

_The scar on Harry's forehead seared with a sharp pain again, and Wormtail let out a fresh howl; Voldemort removed his fingers from Wormtail's mark, and Harry saw that it had turned jet black._

_A look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Voldemort straightened up, threw back his head, and stared around at the dark graveyard._

_"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"_

_He began to pace up and down before Harry Wormtail and Crouch, eyes sweeping the graveyard all the while. After a minute or so, he looked down at Harry again, a cruel smile twisting his snakelike face._

As Voldemort paced he began telling Harry about his family. Harry listened carefully, hoping that the story would give him some information as to where they were but Voldemort seemed wary of giving away anything like that.

Voldemort looked up as _the air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were Apparating. All of them were hooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward… slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them. Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort and kissed the hem of his black robes._

_"Master… Master" he murmured._

_The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle's grave, Harry, Voldemort, and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people._

Once the Death Eaters had all arrived Voldemort once again began pacing, glaring at his Death Eaters and berating them for not being there for him when he needed them the most.

Harry kept his eyes on Wormtail, willing himself to wandlessly kill the man. He didn't know how he'd felt pity for the man earlier, the snivelling and crying disgusted him and Harry found himself wishing that Voldemort would just silence the rat.

Instead, Voldemort turned to him and once again asking for his arm, this time raising his wand and conjuring a shining silver hand in the place where his right had used to be.

"_My Lord," he whispered. "Master… it is beautiful… thank you… thank you…" He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes._

Harry narrowed his eyes at Wormtail, finding his grovelling to be just as disgusting to watch as his crying.

As Harry watched Voldemort speak to each of the Death Eaters in turn he wondered which place would have been Severus's and if he'd felt his Dark Mark burn like the others had. He would have gone to Dumbledore first, of course, but would he answer the call tonight? And if he did, how would he keep Voldemort from knowing about his relationship with Harry?

It was difficult for Harry to resist opening the bond to see what his family was doing; Severus would have felt the Mark burn and Hermione would know Harry was blocking her, but how much would they be able to piece together and would they be able to save Harry?

He could see, to the left of the headstone, where Crouch had discarded the cracked horn-rimmed glasses. They were the only way for him to return to the World Cup, it was just a matter of getting to them.

His only chance would be when Voldemort inevitably decided to humiliate Harry before killing him. He had no idea where his wand had gone, but if it meant being alive to get away from the graveyard he'd gladly leave it.

Harry was brought back from planning his escape when Voldemort said his name.

_He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them and raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek. Harry felt the cold tip of the long white finger touch him, and thought his head would burst with the pain._

Voldemort laughed softly and took a step backwards so that he could properly survey Harry.

The corners of his lips turned up in a slow unnatural smile as his raised his wand, levelling it at Harry's chest. "Crucio!"

The pain was beyond anything Harry had ever felt in his life. He tried to focus on something else, something peaceful like the lullaby Seamus had played that morning, but it seemed as though the pain was invading his brain, burning everything and making it impossible to focus on anything but the constant pain of the Cruciatus Curse.

He didn't know how his broken hand could ever have been considered painful and diary Riddle's Cruciatus Curse had been nothing in comparison to this. His body was on fire, the curse burning him from the inside out, and his head felt like it had been cleaved open along his scar.

_And then it was gone. He was hanging limply in the ropes binding him to the headstone of Voldemort's father, looking up into those bright red eyes through a kind of mist. The night was ringing with the sound of the Death Eaters' laughter._

Harry was then untied by Pettigrew and the Death Eaters closed in on him as Crouch summoned Harry's wand and stuffed it roughly into his hand. The graveyard was once again filled with the laughter of the Death Eaters when Harry dropped his wand, his broken hand too feeble to even close around it. Harry said nothing, barely noticing the Death Eaters as he watched Crouch back away, clutching a very familiar wand that most certainly didn't belong to him.

Voldemort smiled at Harry in a way that, on a normal face might have looked encouraging and picked up the wand. "Many of my Death Eaters would agree that a wizard who can't hold his wand does not deserve to possess one, Harry Potter. But let it never be said that Lord Voldemort is unfair."

It took all of Harry's strength to not flinch as Voldemort took a step towards Harry and took his hand.

"You see how uncivilised Muggles are?" Voldemort asked, holding up Harry's arm for his Death Eaters to see. "This is a clear example of why they do not belong in our world; they are vulgar creatures who resolve disputes by attacking one another like barbarians. Fortunately, Harry Potter, you are a wizard and I will allow you the dignity of a wizard's death."

Voldemort's eyes glinted as he squeezed Harry's hand. Harry's knees gave out as bone tore through the skin of his hand and blood began to run up his outstretched arm. Voldemort waved his wand above Harry's hand and the bones reset themselves with crunch followed by a loud snapping noise, Harry felt feint as Voldemort wrenched Harry back to his feet.

"Now, Harry Potter, we shall duel, take up your wand."

Harry bent and slowly picked up his wand unable to fully comprehend what had happened. Not that Harry believed that he had any hope in beating Voldemort in a duel; but surely Voldemort wasn't so arrogant as to not only have Harry untied but to repair his hand, and arm him so that he could then kill him in a duel; that would be levelling on Bond villain stupidity.

"_You have been taught how to duel Harry Potter?" said Voldemort softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness. __"We bow to each other. Harry," said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed… Dumbledore would like you to show manners… Bow to death, Harry…"_

Harry bowed slowly, knowing that Voldemort's insane desire to make a spectacle out of killing him would keep him from attacking before the 'niceties' had been observed.

_"Very good," said Voldemort softly. "And now - we duel." _Voldemort raised his wand and Harry dived out of his way, towards the ring of Death Eaters.

Having learnt his lesson earlier about where _not_ to hit someone, Harry lunged at Crouch and slammed his fist into his stomach. As Crouch doubled over in pain, Harry wrenched the wand from his hand and kicked him in the shin for good measure.

Before he could turn he was once again hit by the Cruciatus Curse. _The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was… White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life –_

_And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet; he was shaking as uncontrollably as _Pettigrew_ had done when his hand had been cut off; he staggered sideways into the _Death Eater next to Crouch who_ pushed him away, back toward Voldemort._

"Now, Harry, that is not how we duel." Voldemort chastised, seemingly amused by Harry's attack on one of his most devoted followers. "Barty is not your duelling partner and we most certainly do not resort to Muggle duelling, it is vulgar and I will not accept it." He pointed his wand lazily at Harry and once again cast the Cruciatus Curse on him.

Panting, Harry clambered to his feet as the spell was lifted and tucked the wand he had retrieved from Crouch into the waistband of is Pyjama bottoms.

"Now, Harry, I will gladly stay here until dawn whilst every one of my Death Eaters takes a turn to show you why Muggle duelling is unacceptable or you can face me and die like a wizard." Voldemort said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Harry raised his wand and bellowed. "_Bombarda_."

Voldemort repelled Harry's spell with a flick of his wand and laughed. "You'll have to try harder than that if you are trying to kill me, Harry."

"_Expelliarmus_!"

Voldemort was ready for Harry's spell and slashed his wand viciously in Harry's direction, hissing, "_Avada Kedavra_!"

_A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's - they met in midair - and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to - and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold._

_Harry, following the beam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort's long white fingers too were gripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating._

_The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arched high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light._

Voldemort's eyes widened in unmistakable fear as his arm shook; he was already weakening and struggling to hold onto his wand.

As a strangely beautiful song began to emanate from the web Harry seized what may be his only opportunity and dived to his left. He landed painfully on his side, his wand still connected to Voldemort's as he reached out his left hand, scrabbling frantically in the grass.

His wand began to vibrate and Harry tried to keep his arm steady.

The seconds seemed to stretch out as Harry dug through the grass and then, as he was beginning to give up hope of ever getting away, something cold pressed against his hand.

Harry gripped the glasses tightly, not letting go as the broken lenses cut into his hand. He felt a tug at his navel as the world went black and the Portkey swept him away from the graveyard.

_OOOOO_

Still clutching the glasses, Harry was slammed into a tree as the Portkey brought him back to the forest. Disorientated from the Portkey travel, Harry staggered to his feet, only just managing to steady himself against a tree before he threw up in a bush.

Once Harry had finally regained his balance, he straightened and realized that the Portkey-glasses had brought him back to the path where he'd been when Crouch had found him.

Unable to look in the direction of the corpses sprawled on the path, Harry looked around hoping to find his way back to the main campsite. It wasn't until then that he noticed a shadow stumbling through the forest. As he opened his mouth to call out to them, they lit the tip of their wand and he recognized him as one of the Death Eaters from the graveyard, somehow the Portkey had brought everyone from the graveyard back to the World Cup.

Harry ducked behind a tree and caught sight of several more Death Eaters shuffling through the woods on the other side of the path. He pulled himself up onto the lowest branch of the tree and kept climbing upwards until none of the branches above him would support his weight- there was no way he was getting caught by another Death Eater if he could help it.

In the forest below, the Death Eaters were calling to one another, trying to work out how they'd gotten there. Harry heard Voldemort shriek something and watched as several of the Death Eaters below him hurried towards the sound of their master's voice.

Percy had told Harry about how the Aurors had a method of signalling to one another by shooting coloured sparks into the air like flares, which would be all very well and good if Harry could remember which colour meant what. Harry thought that red might have meant that there was an attack but it could have been blue, and silver might mean back up required but then again it might also mean that an arrest had been made.

Harry frowned and pointed his wand in the direction of the Death Eaters sending sparks of every colour he could think of into the air above where he thought the Death Eaters seemed to be congregating. The sparks hung in the air, illuminating a group of people standing together below. Before the sparks could dissipate the air was filled with the sound of people Apparating and loud shouts as curses began to fly between the Death Eaters and the people who had just Apparated into the forest.

Hoping to get closer to the duel, Harry leapt across the short distance between his tree and the one next to it. Under normal circumstances Harry might have taken a safer route, but his safety was the last thing on his mind. When he'd first sent up the sparks he'd only been thinking about letting people know where the Death Eaters were. It wasn't until after that he realized that the sparks could attract people to the duel- people like Ron, whose wand was tucked into the waistband of Harry's pyjamas and Seamus, who was alone and probably lost somewhere in the forest.

His attention was drawn away from the duel by the sound of someone stumbling through the forest below him. Silently Harry slid down onto a lower branch and peered through the canopy of leaves. He instantly recognized the man who was pacing the forest floor as though both afraid of joining the duel and of not.

Harry forgot the duel.

As he shifted onto his feet the branch he was sitting on creaked under his weight.

Peter Pettigrew looked upwards, his eyes widened and he let out a small squawk of fear as Harry dropped from the tree.

Harry let out a whoop of exhilaration as the ground came rushing towards him, the branch had been maybe four metres up and it would have taken Harry several minutes to climb the tree. The fall took seconds. Branches whacked Harry on his way down and a pain shot through his leg as he landed on Pettigrew but it barely registered in Harry's mind.

Tumbling away from Pettigrew, Harry stood, wrenching the smaller man to his feet with more strength than he thought possible. Pinning him against a tree, Harry pressed his wand against Pettigrew's throat.

Even now, at fourteen years old, Harry knew at least ten spells that could put an end to Pettigrew's life. He was at his mercy now and yet, like with Sirius, Harry found himself incapable of making him pay for it. He knew what Pettigrew had done; the deaths he'd caused, the families he'd torn apart, and not only was he incapable of actually killing him, he was almost unwilling.

How, after everything Peter Pettigrew had done, could Harry not want to now avenge his parents?

Hermione would have said it was a mark of Harry's strength that he couldn't do it, but Harry wondered if he was weak, Sirius would have killed Pettigrew straight away, so would Remus, Severus and maybe even Uncle Vernon, but the more he considered doing it the less he wanted to.

His decision on what to do with Pettigrew was made for him as his scar began to burn. With one hand clapped against his forehead Harry stunned Pettigrew, tied him to the tree with ropes conjured from his wand and used a distraction charm the twins had taught him that would send up a red flare in half an hour, he didn't want to send up any signals until he was well away from the traitor.

Once it was all over, Harry couldn't really be sure about what he'd have done if his scar hadn't made his mind up for him, but at the time he'd been too concerned with finding out why his scar had hurt.

Harry found himself in the middle of the duel before he was even fully aware of making the decision to head in that direction. Several trees seemed to have been felled during the duel and behind a particularly large stump Harry could just make out Ron and Dean trying to keep Neville and Ginny from joining the duel as Fred and George stood together, protecting them from attack.

Looking around for Seamus, who was the only one of his friends unaccounted for; Harry leaped over a fallen tree and was immediately attacked by one of the Death Eaters. The Death Eater didn't appear to be a particularly skilled dueller, but even so, Harry was certain that if his attacker hadn't been so unfit, he would have quite easily bested Harry.

Jumping over another fallen tree and dodging a stray curse Harry managed to defeat the assailant with a well placed stunning charm before being assaulted by a second Death Eater who seemed rather intent on hitting Harry with a nasty _bone shattering hex_ until he was taken out from behind by an angry looking ministry employee.

Crouch somehow managed to find Harry through the madness of the duel but he seemed more intent on toying with Harry rather than engaging him in an actual duel. Harry flung curse after curse at him but each time one came near to Crouch he'd deflect it with a lazy flick of his wand and dance out of the way.

Harry had never realized how tiring being in a duel could be, nor how vastly out of his depths he was duelling against fully qualified wizards. Then again he did succeed in setting Crouch's robes on fire and if Crouch hadn't been so quick with a blasting curse he would have also managed to drop a tree on him. As Crouch began to tire of playing games with Harry, the spells he was sending at him began to turn increasingly dark until Harry only just managed to deflect a _blood boiling hex_.

Harry had just managed to avoid being hit by another Cruciatus Curse when he recognized Seamus's voice. He sent one last curse at Crouch and dived behind a tree, ducking a second curse and falling through a gorse bush, Harry found Seamus trapped beneath a fallen oak tree.

He was just metres from Seamus when Voldemort appeared. Harry had no idea of where he came from but could see clearly as Voldemort spotted Seamus and narrowed his eyes, a slow, chilling smile forming on his lips.

Voldemort raised his wand, his eyes glittering with anticipation and said, "Avada-"

"NO!"

Voldemort looked up in interest and his eyes met Harry. "And how will you stop me, Harry? You don't think that shouting at me is really enough, do you?"

Calmness seemed to wash through Harry and without having to think about it he said. "You can have me instead."

Voldemort laughed. "And what is to stop me killing your friend and then killing you? It would be nice to see you in pain before you die, Harry Potter, you and your _emotions_, it would hurt you to see him die wouldn't it?"

Harry watched Voldemort in silence for several seconds before taking a step towards Voldemort. "You're tired." He said slowly, somehow knowing what he was saying was true. "You're weaker than you were before, the killing curse takes a lot of power, if you killed us both would you have enough magic left to get away? So the question really is would you prefer to see me hurt, or would you prefer to see me die?"

Voldemort smiled his chilling smile and twirled his wand between his fingers in contemplation and Harry knew he was right. Not only would he have to spare Seamus's life but if he killed him then he would need to rest before he could hurt anyone else.

Slowly and deliberately, Harry tucked his wand and the broken glasses into the waistband of his pyjama bottoms. Now was a critical moment, he was willing to die but he wasn't willing to take Hermione with him. He focused on pushing away everything that remained of Hermione's presence in his mind.

Harry smiled at Seamus; he couldn't let him blame himself, especially now he was one of the few people who could be relied upon to take care of Hermione once he was gone.

He saw Voldemort's mouth move, saw him raise his wand, a flash of green light, and then nothing.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Harry was naked and laying facedown, listening to a strange whirring noise.

He supposed that things like modesty didn't really matter when you were dead, not that he'd had too many concerns about nudity anyway. He'd always swum naked at the beach with Dudley and Hermione, and had shared a dormitory with four other boys for three years. The only time he had been bothered by it was when the Prophet had published that picture of him at the World Cup, but he didn't imagine that there were any newspaper reporters in the afterlife.

_He lay in a bright mist, though it was not like mist he had ever experienced before. His surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapour; rather the cloudy vapour had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which he lay seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be, _and the whirring appeared to be coming from a clock, a very familiar looking clock.

He stood up and moved towards the clock. It had nine tiny brass hands, seven pointing at mortal peril, one pointing at home, and the last moving so fast around the face that Harry couldn't even see the name painted on it.

Harry watched in fascination as the hand moved faster and faster, becoming a blur as it moved past the writing on the edge of the clock. The room began to form around him but Harry was too entranced by the clock to look away.

Finally, the spinning seemed to take its toll on the hand. It snapped, turning black as it bounced from the clock face, landing on the floor with clinking sound that seemed to reverberate around the room.

"Harry?"

Harry spun around, finding himself standing in the Weasley's kitchen, face to face with Percy.

Harry forced a smile and asked without thinking, "So this is what it's like to be dead, then?" He then frowned, looking Percy up and down. "How come you get clothes and I don't?"

Percy beamed and gestured to the kitchen table where Harry's favourite Superman pajamas were neatly folded. "Oh, right." Harry blushed and stepped closer, picking up the pajama bottoms and pulling them on. "So we're both really dead, then?" He asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"Well, I am." Percy said, sitting down at the table and pouring two mugs of tea from the pot that had appeared on the table. "You saw me die."

Harry watched Percy in curiosity for several seconds before finally sitting down and asking, "What does that mean? Am _I_ not dead, then?"

"I'd say you're most probably not." Percy said, putting a lump of sugar into his tea, shrugging and adding three more.

"Not? But I just got hit with the Killing Curse, same as you, how could I _not_ be dead?" Harry protested.

Percy shrugged. "I have no idea, dying doesn't give you all the answers."

Harry sighed and looked around the kitchen; it was the same as the kitchen at the Burrow only somewhat neater which made it feel slightly wrong. "From where I'm sitting, death doesn't give you any answers. If I wanted to, do you reckon I would be able to go on, y'know, to the afterlife?"

"Why would you want to?" Percy asked, frowning at Harry in confusion.

Harry stirred his tea in silence for several seconds. "I'd be able to see my parents again... and what if I can't defeat Voldemort? I'm supposed to be 'the Chosen One' everyone will be expecting me to save them."

"But what about your family? If you choose to go on it could be decades before you see any of them again."

"They'll be safe if I stay here and with any luck I won't be seeing any of them for decades. I'll swap with you; with me dead, Voldemort won't have any reason to go after my family."

Percy smiled sadly and shook his head. "Even if it was possible I wouldn't, have you ever heard 'The Tale of the Three Brothers?"

"No, what is it?" Harry asked, leaning forward in seat.

"The story is irrelevant; one of the messages in the story, however, is that once someone is dead they can never truly be brought back. If I tried, a part of me would remain here, it would cause more pain for my family than my death ever could."

"But you're life has just begun; Seamus thought you were going to be the next Minister of Magic." Harry felt tears well up in his eyes, suddenly feeling like a small child. "I don't want you to be dead, Perce."

Percy put an arm around Harry's shoulder and hugged him tightly. "I think more people would prefer you were alive, Harry; and are you truly certain that Hermione could survive your death?"

Harry could feel tears rolling down his cheeks but didn't bother to wipe them away. "I have to go back, don't I?"

"You'll go back for your family and friends. Would you really want to risk Voldemort going after them without you being there to protect them?"

"I'm going to miss you."

Percy smiled wavered and he whispered, "Do me a favour, Harry."

Harry nodded, sniffing and wiping his eyes with his pajama shirt. "Whatever you want."

"C-could you let my parents know how much I love them? It's standard procedure for the Auror office to posthumously promote me, my family will be given some money and I want them to enjoy it. W-would you make sure you speak to my brothers and sister for me too? Ron thinks he has to live up to what me, Bill, Charlie, and the twins have managed, tell him that he'll be the best of all of us; we all look up to him, they'll never admit it but even the twins admire him." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, took a deep breath and continued,

"Tell the twins that I have three hundred Galleons saved up in a box in my room, I want them to spend it on their joke shop, we'll be at war soon enough and everyone could do with a good laugh once in a while. Bill and Charlie should know that even now they're my heroes, I-I'll always admire them. And I want you to help Ginny, she wanted to be an Auror too, if that's still what she wants then I want you to help her achieve it. Teach her to duel and defend herself.

"If you don't remember all of this when you go back then I want you to at least remember to tell everyone how much I love them. I wasn't ready to die, I didn't spend enough time with them, but its peaceful here and I know I'll see them again one day."

Harry nodded, he could feel that it was almost time for him to go back but he wasn't ready to let his friend go. "I'll tell them everything; I'll do everything I can to help them, I promise, Perce."

The kitchen began to fade; Percy smiled and hugged Harry tighter. "I love you as well, Harry, you're one of my brothers too, you'll be brilliant."

The bright mist began to descend again and Harry said, "I love you too, this isn't goodbye. I'll see you again."

The mist began to obscure Percy but Harry could still see his smiling face and hear his voice, _loud and strong__,_ "I don't want to see any of you too soon, give it at least eighty years."

_OOOOO_

Voldemort let out a faint yell of triumph as Harry dropped to the floor, and then his entire body seemed to droop. Immediately, one of the Death Eaters was by his side, he grabbed him by the arm and they Disapparated. The Death Eaters who were still standing blinked in confusion before twisting on the spot and disappeared with several loud popping noises.

Seamus wasn't sure how he did it, but somehow, he managed to levitate the fallen tree away from his legs and scramble to Harry's side. He had Harry's body cradled in his arms before anyone else had moved. "_Harry_, please, Harry. Don't be dead."

Harry groaned, blinked twice and murmured, "Seamus?"

Seamus's heart seemed to miss a beat as he squeezed Harry as tight as he could, vision blurred by tears and too relieved for his mind to form any real thoughts. "You bastard, you complete fucking bastard. Do anything like that again and I'll kill y' meself."

Eventually, Seamus became aware of a soft hum of voices and the sound of several people approaching. Ron dropped to his knees on Harry's other side and put a hand on his shoulder.

Harry's eyes filled with tears as he caught sight of Ron and he whispered, "I'm so sorry Ron."

Ron nodded once, to show he understood what Harry was talking about before gently taking Harry from Seamus's arms and laying him back on the floor. "This is going to sound weird but you've got to pretend that the curse killed you." Ron said, leaning forwards and making a show of checking Harry's pulse and shaking his head at Seamus, as though he felt nothing.

"We'll have to get Harry out of the forest, at the moment we have an advantage over You-Know-Who, he thinks Harry's dead and for now we should try to keep it that way. Seamus, you should carry Harry, just until we're out of sight and then he'll have to go invisible. One of those Auror blokes told Fred that dad is at the edge of the forest with... with my brothers." Ron said, faltering as he almost mentioned Percy. Seamus nodded and scooped Harry up into his arms.

At Hogwarts, no one would ever play chess with Ron. As part of an attempt to get Seamus to talk about what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron had insisted that Seamus play a few times a week, but it would always go the same way. Seamus was always allowed to make the first move but as soon as he did Ron would smile and then the smile would grow each time Seamus made another move and soon enough he would be in check mate.

Most people thought he cheated, but in reality Ron just had a talent for tactical thinking. Even so, Seamus was amazed that Ron was able to think straight so soon after Percy's death, during the few seconds that he'd thought Harry was dead Seamus had barely been able to form a proper thought.

"How're you feeling?" Seamus whispered as they set off towards the campsite, Harry cradled bridal style in his arms.

"I'm tired and hurt all over; so far tonight I've seen a friend die, been kidnapped by a madman, tortured, watched Voldemort come back and been hit by the Killing Curse. I can't say it's been the best night." Harry answered, his voice sounding worryingly weak.

Seamus stopped dead, almost dropping Harry as he stared at him in horror. "You were kidnapped?"

Harry shook his head and looked pointedly at the Weasleys who were walking ahead. "I'll have to explain it all later anyway."

"But you were there when You-Know-Who came back?" Seamus asked.

"Don't." Harry whispered. "I'll explain everything when we get back to my house."

Seamus sighed and shifted Harry in his arms as he began walking again. He wanted to stop again, demand Harry tell him everything, and then make him promise never to do anything so dangerous again.

Seamus wasn't really sure when he'd realized that he fancied Harry. It was sometime around second year, but he didn't know whether it had been before or after the _Chamber_. Sometimes he thought it was because of the basilisk's fang.

Not long after he'd been taken to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had informed him that because of where the basilisk venom had entered his body, he would never be able to have children. Seamus couldn't really remember having any real reaction to the news. He hadn't had a chance because almost as soon as she broke the news to him, Madam Pomfrey began assuring him that he would still be able to have sex. And then, as though he wasn't embarrassed enough, she went on to tell him that even though he _could__,_ he should probably wait until he was older. Somehow, she managed to end up giving him 'the talk' all over again, and Seamus hadn't even been able to hide under his pillows in embarrassment because he hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings since she was just trying to be nice.

Being only thirteen at the time, he hadn't ever given much thought to having children; of course, he had imagined that one day he would have kids but he hadn't _actually_ thought about it. For a few months he'd been made to talk to a mind Healer from St. Mungo's, but he'd never told his friends about what damage the fang had actually caused him.

He'd spent a lot of the summer thinking about his future until he eventually decided that it didn't matter anyway because he wanted to be with Harry, and that kind of meant kids were out of the question. The problem with this, other than the fact that Harry wasn't gay, was that if he'd only had that thought after the injury, maybe it was just his way of coping with what had happened.

The worst part of it all, though, was that there was no one to talk to about it. Obviously, he couldn't tell Harry. Hermione was a definite no and it would feel weird to tell Dean, Ron, or Neville, especially since he didn't know how they would react. His mother was out of the question too, she wouldn't approve of it, and he knew people who'd been disowned for less. Seamus wasn't sure whether being a gay wizard was considered to be better or worse than being Muggleborn. Certainly, the idea of a gay wizard wasn't one that was usually considered, there were plenty of half-bloods who were against pure-blood supremacy, but not at all tolerant of homosexuality.

Although since the only bloke he'd ever really fancied, other than Han Solo from Star Wars, was Harry, so maybe he wouldn't ever have to deal with telling anyone. He found girls attractive too, so maybe one day he'd just stop fancying Harry and find a girl to like instead.

As they moved closer to the campsite, Seamus was shaken out of his thoughts as everyone stopped and waited whilst he set Harry down and waited for him to disillusion himself.

They found the rest of the Weasleys at the edge of the forest. Ginny's legs gave out as soon as she saw Percy's body and one of the twins had to carry her the rest of the way to their father. For several seconds, Seamus couldn't take his eyes off Percy. He felt Harry shift next to him and heard him take a step back.

"Get Neville's attention and ask him to come over here." Harry whispered into his ear as he put a hand on Seamus's wrist and began to lead him towards a fallen tree.

Meeting Neville's eyes, Seamus gestured for him to follow them over to the tree. Seamus felt Harry sit down on the tree and followed suit, leaving enough room on the end for Neville to sit down.

Neville whispered something in Ron's ear and squeezed his shoulder briefly before walking around the Weasley's to where Seamus and Harry were waiting.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked, looking Seamus up and down.

Gesturing for Neville to sit down Seamus whispered, "Harry's right next to me, I think he wanted a word with you."

Neville looked past him, his eyes focusing on a tree behind him. "You all right, mate?"

Seamus felt Harry shift and lean over him in order to speak to Neville. "As good as could be expected." Harry said before taking a deep breath and asking if Neville would be able to get hold of a Portkey to take the Weasleys back to the Burrow before anyone from the Daily Prophet came sniffing around. Neville nodded, telling them that if he found an Auror they'd be only too happy to help Frank and Alice Longbottom's son, especially after Crouch's appearance during the duel.

Once Neville had disappeared, Harry remarked in a falsely light tone that he was surprised Neville wasn't above using such underhand tactics to manipulate ministry officials.

"Under normal circumstances I don't think he'd ever use what happened to his parents like that, but after seeing Crouch..." Seamus paused and shook his head, "You saw him during the duel, he wouldn't have thought twice about going after Crouch and he knows better than anyone how ruthless Death Eaters can be. Anyway, right, now that's not important, you said you were hurt. Do I need to find you a healer?"

Harry shifted on the tree next to him and said, "I'm not hurt too bad, I think I might have bitten through my lip when I was under the Cruciatus Curse, I can taste blood in my mouth; and I broke my hand but Voldemort healed it so I should probably have that checked out when I get home... my leg might be broken too, it's hard to tell."

Seamus took a deep breath, sometimes he hated Harry. What sort of idiot would join a duel with a broken hand and broken leg? And in what way was that 'not too bad'? He took another deep breath and instead of berating Harry for his stupidity or focusing on the fact that he had been tortured again, asked in the calmest voice he could muster, "_Voldemort_ fixed your hand?"

"Yeah, I couldn't hold my wand and he wanted a duel to the death." Harry laughed hollowly. "Well, that backfired spectacularly on him, I don't think he'd have done any further damage to my hand since he planned on killing me anyway but I'll make sure someone looks at it."

"And your leg?"

"I jumped out of a tree onto Pettigrew, it might not be broken. I've fallen further. It couldn't have been more than four metres, five at the very most."

Seamus glanced down to where he imagined Harry's legs would be and frowned, that was too much. If he didn't know any better, Seamus would have said that Harry was trying to get himself killed. "And this is you being hurt not too bad, is it? I swear to Merlin, you're a fucking idiot, Harry. You _jumped _out of a bloody tree, a _five _metre_-_"

"It was probably just four, maybe three." Harry interrupted and Seamus cut him off with a glare.

"You could have _died_."

"It's not _that_ far." Harry protested. "And I knew what I was doing, it was to catch Pettigrew."

"You're a twat."

"Calm down, I've never heard someone swear so much." Harry sounded almost amused.

Seamus glared in Harry's direction for several seconds before hissing, "Fuck off, Harry."

He heard Harry's loud sigh. "Why are you angry at me?"

"Isn't it bad enough what happened to Percy?" Seamus asked, frowning and rubbing his chin. "Why did you do it?"

The pause whilst Harry answered his question was so long that Seamus thought that he wasn't actually going to answer his question. Finally, Harry said, "I don't know, I didn't really put much thought into it, there wasn't time."

"But after the prophecy? You're the only one who could get rid of Voldemort, how could you put me ahead of that?"

"Do we even really know that the prophecy still applies? I got rid of him once, maybe that's what the prophecy was talking about."

Seamus shook his head, he and Harry both knew that wasn't true. "You don't really believe that and Voldemort won't either. He marked you with that scar and even if you don't believe in prophecies he does; _you _have been marked as his equal, so as far as he is concerned you are the only one stopping him returning to full power."

"How do you know that the prophecy isn't complete? Why do my friends and family need to be put in danger because of something that might not apply anymore?" Harry asked, his voice cracking. "Percy died because Voldemort wanted me for his return to power, what if that's it, what if I'm not the Chosen One anymore?"

Seamus wanted to let Harry believe in his fantasy, he knew better than anyone the influence Voldemort could have on someone's life. He'd seen through Voldemort's eyes the things he could do, the extremes the Death Eater's could go to, to hurt their enemies. He'd seen a man disemboweled by Antonin Dolohov and his Muggleborn wife burnt alive all because their friend was a member of the Wizengamot who had ruled against a piece of anti-Muggleborn legislation.

He didn't tell Harry this; instead, he tried to explain why he couldn't believe he was no longer the Chosen One. "The prophecy isn't complete because _he_ doesn't want it to be, as far as he's concerned _you_ are the Chosen One and no matter how much you want it to be different nothing will change that. This gives us an advantage, Harry," Seamus took a deep breath. "Voldemort is arrogant and believes he has to kill you, we know the full prophecy and he doesn't, we can use that against him."

Harry didn't say anything else until Neville appeared with an empty butterbeer bottle clutched in his hand. "It's set to go off in ten minutes."

Seamus nodded and stood up. "Right, give us a hand with Harry. He thinks he's broken his leg."

"Broken his leg?" Neville looked almost exasperated. "Once the Weasleys have gone we need to find a way out of here. Did either of you see if Professor Snape was with the Death Eaters?" Neville asked putting his arm on Seamus's shoulder so that Harry could hold onto both of them without anyone noticing that they were helping to carry an invisible person.

"No, Severus will have gone straight to Dumbledore as soon as he felt his mark burn. They'll probably decide from there whether Sev's going to go back to Voldemort and spy again." Harry whispered as he Seamus helped him put his arms around his and Neville's necks.

"Do you reckon Dobby would be up to Apparating us out of here? They're trying to keep everyone on the campsite until Ministry reinforcement arrives; the only way people are leaving is by Apparition, since they can't control that. It was a nightmare getting the Portkey for the Weasleys, and I think the only way they'll let us leave is if you came back but I'm not sure that's a good idea." Neville said as they began to walk slowly over to where the Weasleys and Dean huddled.

"Yeah, I'll send a Patronus when we get over there. I should probably let my family know I'm still alive too before the news of my death reaches them, they'll know something's up already because H- because of Severus." Harry let out a soft hiss of pain and they slowed down. "Once we're gone I'll send Dobby to your mum, Seamus, she'll be worrying but since I'm the only one of us who can send a Patronus and the Ministry thinks I'm dead we'll have to wait."

Seamus nodded to indicate he'd heard Harry and said, "Just focus on not damaging your leg anymore, we'll discuss this when you're on your feet again."

It seemed to take hours to get Harry from the fallen tree to the Weasleys, once they'd sat down the energy had just seeped out of him and now he was struggling to walk without letting out small gasps of pain with every movement.

They finally made their way over to where Dean stood, preventing passing people from getting too close to the grieving Weasley family.

"Mr. Weasley, I'm so sorry." Harry whispered.

Mr. Weasley looked up, over his shoulder and frowned at the gap between Seamus and Neville where Harry was stood. He nodded once and opened his mouth to speak but seemed unable to do anything but let out a half-choked sob.

"We've got you a Portkey, its set to go off in a few minutes. You should go back to Mrs. Weasley; she shouldn't have to find out from anyone else." Neville said.

"I c-can't leave Percy on his own." Mr. Weasley choked out.

"Mum's going to need you most, I'll stay with Perce. I'll Apparate home later." Charlie offered, putting a hand on his father's shoulder. "Just get everyone home safe, Dad."

After some discussion Mr. Weasley eventually agreed that Bill and Charlie could remain at the campsite with Percy whilst his younger children would return to the Burrow with him.

Around a minute before the Portkey was set to leave, Harry let go of Seamus and appeared to put a hand on Mr. Weasley's arm. "Mr. Weasley, if it helps it was the killing curse... h-he wasn't in pain."

"Wh-who?" Mr. Weasley asked in little more than a whisper.

"Barty Crouch Jr. There was nothing I could do." Harry rested his hand on Seamus for support, leaving what appeared to be a broken pair of glasses in Mr. Weasley's hand.

Mr. Weasley looked up, tears rolling silently down his cheeks, and for a second Seamus was certain that he could actually see Harry. "Thank you."

Everything seemed to happen quickly after the Weasleys had gone. Harry managed to send off three rather pale looking Patronuses, the first to his family and the second to Professor Dumbledore who Harry had hoped would still be with Professor Snape, Seamus wasn't sure who the third was for.

Whilst they waited for Dobby to collect them, Seamus stared at the ground unable to look over to where Bill and Charlie were sitting with Percy. He wasn't going to get any sleep for a long time, not now that he had seen Voldemort. The memories from the diary plagued him often enough, but now he'd actually seen the man responsible, met the Death Eaters, and seen his best friend almost killed, the memories would only get worse.

During the day, Seamus was usually quite successful at suppressing the memories, but as soon as he went to bed on any evening they came back to him. It had helped to have someone there with him on a night, which was probably the reason he hadn't been too upset about finding out Cosmo wasn't actually a dog. Once he'd returned home the nightmares began again, his mother had found out and after a bit of an argument she'd grudgingly agreed to stop trying to make him talk about it under the condition that he would talk to Madam Pomfrey about it when he got back to school. Of course he wouldn't, he'd had enough of mind healers.

Dobby arrived for them just a few minutes after the Weasleys had left and somehow managed to take Seamus, Harry, Neville, and Dean back to the Terrace in one go.

The Disillusionment Charm on Harry dropped as soon as they appeared in the Dursley's living room. Harry's family was on their feet to greet them and, letting go of both Neville and Seamus, Harry collapsed, sobbing, into Mr. Dursley's arms.

"It's all right, son, I've got you." Mr. Dursley gently ran a hand through Harry's hair and held him tightly against his chest.

Seamus turned away from Harry and Mr. Dursley, seeing the obvious love Mr. Dursley had for Harry made him want his own father. He'd never really had a father figure, he hadn't needed one, his mother was enough. But seeing Mr. Dursley, Seamus wondered how his father could have left them, even after finding out they were magical. Surely if someone like Mr. Dursley, who wasn't even properly related to Harry, could love his adoptive son so much, his father should have been able to.

"What happened?" Seamus turned to see Sirius staring wide eyed at him, Neville, and Dean. "Harry's Patronus said Voldemort's back and-" he gulped. "And he said Percy Weasley's dead."

Between them Seamus, Neville, and Dean managed to explain most of what had happened at the World Cup. As he wasn't with them for most of the night some of what Neville told Sirius caught Seamus by surprise; apparently, Ron had lost his wand before the duel and, after finding out about Percy, Ginny had leapt on a Death Eater and tried to claw his eyes out.

Once he'd finally released his uncle, Harry tried to take a step towards his aunt but immediately froze, his face going pale. Hermione was at his side in seconds and, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, led him over to the sofa.

She sat him down and shifted him so his broken leg was resting on a cushion.

"Charity." Hermione whispered, turning towards Professor Burbage, or was it Professor Snape now? Seamus wasn't quite sure whether she'd changed her name or not. "Harry's broken his leg, do you think you could fix it, or call a healer?"

Mrs. Dursley shifted uncomfortably, she looked as though she wanted nothing more than to hurry over to Harry and check that he was all right. Instead, she nodded Professor Burbage over to Harry and settled for clutching her husband's hand and wrapping a protective arm around her son.

"I could fix your leg but maybe we should call Poppy, she'd do a better job than me." Professor Burbage told Harry, kneeling by the sofa to inspect his leg.

Harry tried to sit up, only to have Hermione push him back down. "It's just a broken leg; you'll be able to fix it as well as any healer."

Professor Burbage looked uncertainly from Harry to Mr. Dursley before sighing and pulling out her wand. "Okay, then, hold still." She waved her wand over Harry's leg and muttered a charm. A pale blue light enveloped Harry's leg.

Harry let out a gasp of pain as the broken parts of bone cracked back together and clutched Hermione's hand tightly. Once the leg appeared to be fixed Harry sat up and wriggled his toes. "See, good as new." He clambered to his feet and looked around. "I've called Professor Dumbledore and Remus. I'll explain everything when everyone is here; I'm going for a shower now, though."

Harry turned to Dobby and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you for collecting us, Dobby, if you wouldn't mind I've got a couple more jobs for you to do."

"Dobby is happy to help Harry Potter, sir."

Harry smiled and bent so that he was at eye level with the elf. "I'd like for you to collect our things from the campsite, everything that belongs to me, Neville, Seamus, Dean, or the Weasleys. Could you do that for me? And whilst you're there could you get a message to Mrs. Finnegan, tell her that Seamus has gone with Neville and Dean to see Professor Dumbledore but don't tell her that I'm alive."

"Harry Potter can count on Dobby, sir."Dobby said, nodding as he twisted on the spot and Disapparated.

Harry straightened, kissed each of his aunts and Hermione on the cheek one by one, and left the room.

Sirius made to follow him but Hermione put a hand on his arm and shook her head. "Just let him be alone for a bit, he'll come back and explain everything soon."

This seemed to be enough for Harry's family; Mrs. Dursely immediately began fussing over Seamus, Neville, and Dean, insisting they let Professor Burbage heal any scrapes or bruises they may have received. Mr. Dursley, Mr. Granger, and Sirius began pacing, and Mrs. Granger ushered everyone into the kitchen so that she could feed them.

Seamus frowned at Hermione as they crossed the hallway to the kitchen, she and Harry might seem like the perfect couple but they weren't together yet, so why did she get to dictate how people treated him? When Harry had left it seemed as though Harry's family were waiting for _her _to assure them that Harry was alright, but what did she know, she wasn't even there?

Sometimes, if he was feeling particularly vindictive, Seamus liked to imagine that Harry only liked Hermione to make up for Snape's mistakes. According to Harry, Snape had been in love with his mother so maybe Harry felt that he and Hermione were supposed to be together since Snape had messed things up with Mrs. Potter?

Of course this probably wasn't true, Harry wasn't the kind of person to pretend to be in love with someone just because of what other people thought. Really, Seamus did just want Harry to be happy, but the way Hermione was acting with Diggory, it was practically cheating, even if she and Harry weren't in a relationship yet.

Seamus accepted the cup of tea and biscuit Mrs. Granger thrust at him and sat down at the table between Neville and Dean.

He wondered if Dobby had let his mother know that he was safe yet. She'd probably heard by now that Voldemort was back and that Harry was dead so that would mean she was worrying. He felt guilty for just leaving, but after what had happened she would probably be called into work to do paperwork and it really was safer for him to stay at the Terrace for now.

"Neville, d' you reckon your gran's heard about what happened?" Seamus whispered, the room was too quiet for him to feel comfortable speaking any louder.

"I've no idea, I wouldn't be surprised. I'll ask Dudley if he'll let me borrow Smudge, it'll take less than an hour for him to get to my house from here." Clutching the mug of tea Mrs. Granger had made for him, Neville stood up and left the room, Dudley had been called to the pantry moments earlier to help his aunt find more mugs and biscuits.

"What about you?" Seamus asked, turning to Dean. "Are you going to tell your parents?"

"I'll wait 'till everything's settled, they don't get the Prophet so right now they'll think I'm still at the campsite." Dean frowned and took a small sip of his tea. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"The war's started again hasn't it? I was raised Muggle; I don't know how these things work."

Seamus couldn't help but laugh, even if it felt wrong at such a time. "I've no idea mate, I wasn't old enough to remember last time, but if it comes down to it I'll fight."

"Do you think it will come down to it?" Dean asked, eying him with worry. "What happened to Percy shows how outmatched we are, do you reckon we can train ourselves up to fight?"

"If what me mam says about the Ministry is true, we'll probably have to."

There was a gleam of something in Dean's eye as he put a hand on Seamus's shoulder and smiled weakly. "Good."

As Neville and Dudley re-entered the kitchen, the former carrying a sheet of paper and a pen, Hermione abruptly stood up. Everyone but Seamus, Neville, and Dean looked towards the door, seconds before a crash echoed down the stairs.

Hermione muttered something to Mrs. Dursley and darted out of the room with Sirius on her heels. Seamus looked around, realizing that he, Neville, and Dean had all drawn their wands. They made to follow Hermione and Sirius, but Mrs. Dursley ushered them all back to their seats insisting that the noise was nothing to worry about.

Tucking his wand into the breast pocket of his pajama shirt, Seamus frowned and sat down, wondering how Hermione had known that something had happened before everyone else had.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Harry didn't think as he undressed, balancing his and Ron's wands on the edge of the bath and dropping his dirty pyjamas into the laundry basket. Turning the water on as hot as it would go, Harry stepped into the shower.

He let out a hiss of pain, he hadn't realized how battered he was until the water hit him. The water scalded his body, cleaning his wounds and burning away all traces of blood and dirt. Unwilling to use any soap near his cuts Harry ran his fingers through his hair, watching the bloody water roll off his skin and down the drain. It wasn't until every drop of blood had washed away that Harry turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

Standing on the bathmat, Harry examined himself in the mirror. His eyes were immediately drawn to his chest; most of the cuts on his body had stopped bleeding already, but not the one on his chest. He'd felt it when he'd been hit by the Killing Curse but hadn't realized how much damage had been done. The wound gaped wide as though the skin had been peeled away from his chest.

He frowned at his reflection. The darkness of the Killing Curse still seemed to be lingering in the air around him, and if Harry stared long enough he was sure that could see it in his chest wound. He felt dirty, as though the darkness had tainted him; even the heat of the shower hadn't been enough to burn the stain of the dark magic away.

Harry wasn't sure if the dark feeling was from the curse that had killed Percy or the curse that had almost killed him, _should _have killed him. How was it fair that he had survived?

Percy hadn't deserved to die, at least he was _trying_ to make a difference; Harry had been trying to escape the prophecy ever since he'd first heard about it.

He ran his fingers through his hair, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Harry took a deep, ragged breath and fell against the wall. It should be easy for him to accept Percy's death, he'd seen what comes next, but every time he thought about it all he could think of was seeing Mr. Weasley at the campsite and all the pain Percy's death had caused. All because he'd tried to help Harry.

Launching one of Aunt Petunia's potted plants at the wall, he felt his knees buckle and he dropped to the floor. It wasn't fair; he wished he'd killed Crouch instead of just hitting him. He needed to pay for what he'd done. Harry let out a sob, his entire body shaking as he clenched his fingers through his hair.

He wasn't aware of anything but his grief until Hermione wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She pulled him against her chest, sending calming thoughts to Harry through the bond.

"Come on, Harry, you need to get up." With the hand not wrapped around Harry, Hermione reached into the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a first aid kit. "Sit against the bath so I can look at your chest."

Harry nodded, letting her wrap a towel around his middle and prop him up.

"What happened?" Harry and Hermione both looked up to see Sirius standing in the bathroom doorway. "Do you want me to call Poppy?"

Harry, who didn't even want Sirius to know what had happened, tried to protest but Sirius didn't wait for an answer, instead taking a step backwards out of the door.

Acting on what she felt from Harry, Hermione reached up, grabbing Sirius by the wrist as Harry shook his head. "No, I don't need help."

Hermione pursed her lips. "He doesn't want to cause a fuss." Balling up a towel, Hermione pressed it against Harry's chest with more force than was necessary and frowned at him. "Sirius would you put pressure on this?"

"Hermione, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sirius asked, putting his hand on the towel where Hermione indicated.

"There's enough for me to deal with tonight without everyone worrying that I'm hurt too. I'll have my hand and lip checked when Dumbledore gets here but no one needs to see this." Harry indicated to his chest. "It looks a lot worse than it is."

Hermione snorted and pulled two potions bottles from the first aid kit. "Even if you were able to convincingly lie to me I wouldn't believe that." She popped the lid off one of the bottles and poured some on a cotton ball.

Sirius looked sceptical, as though he doubted Hermione's ability to treat Harry's wound. Harry smiled at that, Aunt Petunia had always kept healing supplies in all of the bathrooms because of Harry's propensity for getting himself into trouble on a regular basis. Hermione had been helping him hide various injuries since they were eight, even though she should be used to it by now, it always made Aunt Petunia upset when Harry got hurt.

In a well practiced movement, Hermione pulled the towel from Harry's chest, gave a quick dab of the potion-doused cotton balls which smoked and stung, she pressed a wound dressing sheet to his chest.

"Drink this." She thrust a bottle of red potion into Harry's hand.

Harry glanced at the bottle, recognizing the contents to be blood replenishing potion. "I don't need this; I've barely lost any blood."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "You do if you don't want me to tell Aunt Petunia."

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't bonded with someone so manipulative." Harry said, taking a mouthful of the potion and shuddering at the awful taste.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't bonded with someone so stupid." She held up the bloody towel and sighed. "'Barely lost any blood' indeed, idiot."

"I think you should tell your aunt." Sirius said, standing up and packing away the first aid kit.

Harry sighed; ever since Sirius had moved in he'd been trying to act responsible so as to get into Aunt Petunia's good books.

"It'll fix itself soon enough." Harry shrugged and used the bath to push himself onto his feet. "If it doesn't I can always ask someone at school, it'll just make her worry more if I tell her now."

Dropping the bloody towel into the laundry hamper, Hermione turned around. "Ugh, Harry, cover yourself up, no one wants to see you without your pants on."

_OOOOO_

Harry knew what Hermione was going to ask the moment she stepped out of the wardrobe and into his bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed, leaning against him as she reached for the two wands he had clutched in his hands.

"Harry?" She asked, her voice tearful as she ran a finger over Ron's wand, not really needing to voice her actual question.

"Yeah." Harry answered, clearing his throat. "Crouch must have stolen it from him during the match."

"Are you going to tell Ron?"

Harry blinked back tears. "I don't know, Hermione. I don't know what to do."

Hermione looked up at him, tears running steadily down her face. "I don't know what to say, Harry. It's his _wand..._ I'd want to know if I were in his position."

Harry stood up and put both wands into his pocket. "I can't. Hermione, Ron _can't _know, it'd destroy him."

"Are you going to tell anyone?" She asked, allowing Harry to pull her onto her feet and envelop her in a hug.

"I never realized how much I've missed you until we're back together." Harry murmured, he didn't need to answer the question because they both knew that Ron couldn't know that his wand had killed his brother.

The sound Hermione made was a cross between a laugh and a sob as she hugged him tighter. "Let's just stay in here."

"Wouldn't that be brilliant?" Harry asked, eying his bed longingly. "We could just sleep for days and not have to worry about anything."

Hermione sighed and nodded, already leading Harry towards the door. They found Sirius waiting for them at the top of the stairs. As the responsible adult, he'd sent Harry and Hermione to change into dry, clean clothes whilst he cleaned up the mess Harry had left in the bathroom.

Unconsciously, Harry took hold of Hermione's hand as they descended the stairs. All he wanted was to crawl into his bed and forget what had happened, the last thing he wanted to do was to have to go through everything all over again. Hermione squeezed his hand, letting him know through the bond that she was there for him.

They could hear voices coming from the kitchen as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Looking for a way to delay the inevitable, Harry glanced at Hermione and Sirius and said, "I'm just going to go through the pantry... you know, to grab some food."

"You should get that lip seen to first." Sirius protested, eying Harry with an uncertain expression on his face.

"It's almost healed." Harry pulled out his lip and tried, unsuccessfully, to see where the wound was. When he and Hermione were together their magical power was strengthened and it seemed a part of that stretched to the healing of minor cuts and scrapes.

Harry spent as long as he could in the pantry, putting off having to go into the kitchen.

"Harry, you can't run away from it. You're going to have to tell us what happened and the longer you leave it the more you're going to forget." Sirius bent so that he was looking Harry in the eye and put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "You can do this, Harry, everyone in there loves you and we want to help you deal with what you've seen. The only way this can happen is if you talk to us."

Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards Sirius and nodded. "I'm ready."

Sirius opened the door and, still clutching Hermione's hand, Harry followed him. The hum of voices in the kitchen died as Harry entered the room.

Reluctantly, Harry took one of the three remaining seats at the head of the table and accepted the cup of tea Aunt Petunia placed in front of him.

Dumbledore, who must have arrived with Severus and Remus whilst Harry was upstairs, sat at the other end of the table watching him calmly.

"Harry, when you're ready I would like to know what happened tonight." Dumbledore said.

"Can't this wait until later?" Aunt Petunia hissed, surprising Harry with the look of anger she directed at the professor. "The boys need to rest, Neville, Seamus, and Dean have already explained what happened, let them sleep."

"My dear Petunia, if I thought letting Harry and his friend sleep would help them, I would put each of them into an enchanted sleep this very instant." Dumbledore turned to Harry._"But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."_

Harry took a deep breath and squeezed Hermione's hand before launching into his story. The table listened intently as Harry spoke, occasionally making noises as though they planned on interrupting him. Harry kept talking, knowing that once he'd told his story he would feel better.

It wasn't until Harry mentioned Pettigrew cutting him, and the strange feeling he'd had, that he was interrupted.

_Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry started. Dumbledore walked around the table and told Harry to stretch out his arm._

Dumbledore held up Harry's arm, looking closely at the cut as Harry explained how, according to Voldemort, his blood was supposed to be better than anyone else's.

"You allowed Pettigrew to take your blood?" Severus asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Shouldn't I have?" Harry asked, looking between Severus and Dumbledore.

Severus's eyes gleamed in triumph and a small smile formed on his lips. "Albus, I may have need of your Pensieve."

Dumbledore nodded and returned to his chair. "Please continue, Harry."

Harry explained how, after Voldemort had returned, he'd attacked Crouch and been encouraged to duel Voldemort. Purposefully leaving out the part about Ron's wand, Harry showed Dumbledore his hand and told him that Voldemort had repaired it for him so that they could duel.

Harry looked down at his mug, unable to look at his family as he neared the end of his story, describing how he'd offered himself to Voldemort in exchange for Seamus's life.

No one spoke; Harry guessed that someone must have told his family everything that had happened after Harry had returned to the World Cup. He continued, leaving out most of his conversation with Percy in the otherworld and only explaining that he'd been asked to let the Weasleys know how much Percy had loved them.

When he'd finished the story, he finally looked up, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath.

"You're going back to him, aren't you?" Harry asked, looking at Severus and then to Charity, feeling awful. They'd only just returned from their honeymoon and already Severus was expected to risk his life.

Severus rested his hands on the table, looked at his wife and then at the rest of his family. "I have to. If I am correct, by willingly giving your blood to Pettigrew you have ensured that the Dark Lord is not as powerful as he once was. If the Dark Lord ever believes that I have betrayed him you will all be at risk."

Charity's shoulders sagged but she didn't speak, instead nodding and tenderly cupping Severus's hands in hers.

Harry looked to Dumbledore. "What do we do now?"

The adults shared a look and Harry frowned, they were trying to find a way to tell him he was too young or something equally ridiculous. "I'm not letting you get rid of me now." Harry said fiercely, standing up and glaring at all the adults at the table. "_I _was there when Voldemort came back and _I _fought him in the forest and graveyard; don't tell me I'm too young to be involved."

"Harry, you've played your part, you don't have to do any more." Remus said. Startled, Harry looked at him, he'd been quiet through Harry's entire story, and Harry had almost forgotten he was in the room. "The truth is, Harry, that you _are_ too young. No one should have to go through what you have, especially not someone your age."

"But I want to. Maybe I am too young, but I'm already involved and excluding me, excluding any of us," Harry gestured to his friends, Hermione, and Dudley. "Won't change that. Just because you don't want me to go through all this, doesn't mean Voldemort's going to stop trying to kill me. Let us help, let us be prepared to fight because I'm going to fight whether you want me to or not."

Remus tilted his head, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "You're so very like your parents."

Harry smiled and sat back down and looked across at Sirius. "So if you've all agreed we can be involved, I want you to teach me to become an Animagus."

Sirius looked taken aback and whilst he appeared to be trying to formulate an answer, Seamus sat up, frowning at Harry. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You know the dangers... I know you've looked into it and you know it's not safe. It's just bloody stupid for you to have escaped Voldemort only to risk your life trying to become an animagus."

What was it about Seamus that had made Harry offer himself up to Voldemort? _That _was stupid, letting himself be killed without a fight and now, when he was looking for ways to gain an advantage over Voldemort, Seamus was lecturing him about his stupidity.

"I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave." Harry hissed, glowering at Seamus. "_I'm_ not a coward."

Seamus flinched and Harry immediately felt guilty, his response had been cruel. He and Seamus were close and because of that Harry knew the best way to hurt him. Seamus's father had left his famility as soon as he'd learnt that they were magical and Seamus, even now, hated him for his cowardice, for the fact that he hadn't been brave enough to stay.

"You'll have to ask _Severus_." Sirius ground out, looking as though he was in pain. "It is dangerous and illegal, but very useful."

Harry tilted his head apologetically at Seamus before turning to Severus who looked stunned by Sirius's decision. "You know I'll do it anyway, at least if you let Sirius teach me I'll be doing it in a more safe environment."

Severus stared at Harry, weighing the options carefully before finally nodding. "I think it might be for the best."

Dumbledore smiled serenely at the other end of the table and said, "In response to your question Harry, next I will gather the Order of the Phoenix. We now have an advantage over Lord Voldemort and I have every intention of exploiting it. Sirius, I would like to make your house our headquarters."

"Are you going to use the Fidelius Charm?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I think that would be the best course of action." Dumbledore said with a nod.

"Good, I want Harry to be the Secret Keeper."

_OOOOO_

"So what are you keeping from us?" Dudley asked, dumping an armful of bedding onto Harry's bedroom floor and collapsing on top of it.

Harry glanced over at his brother and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well to start with, you're hurt." Dudley said, looking through Harry at his aura.

Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "It's just where the curse hit me." He lifted his shirt to show Dudley the dressing on his chest. "It'll heal quickly enough; I just didn't want Aunt Petunia to know about it. You know what she can be like."

Dudley nodded knowingly, but continued to watch Harry's aura. "Does Hermione know?"

Harry nodded and began pulling the bedding out from under his brother. "She knows. If it's that obvious I'm hurt from my aura then I'm sure she knew from the bond before she saw it."

"It's not just that you're hurt though, your aura has changed."

Harry folded one of the bed sheets onto an air mattress and sat down on top of it. "What do you mean?"

Dudley's eyebrow's creased together as he tried to explain. "I dunno. It's like one of those things that you don't notice until it's gone."

"Like how?" Harry asked, Dudley wasn't known for his eloquence and he seemed to be struggling to explain the change.

"Well, it was dark. You know, like shadowy, but now it's not." He paused and pursed his lips and scanned Harry's aura again. "It always was dark though, but I didn't realize that there was anything wrong until there wasn't. And now you're aura isn't dark, like there's no shadow over it anymore."

"So it's a good thing then?" Harry asked uncertainly. "Has Hermione's aura changed too?"

"Not as much as yours, I don't think it had as much darkness in it. But I think she did die when you did, at least her aura disappeared for a couple of seconds."

Harry sighed and rested his head in his hand; he'd hoped that by shutting the bond off to Hermione she wouldn't experience anything bad that happened to him, obviously that wasn't the case. "I'll find another way. I thought just blocking her would be enough, but I'll need to find something else. Maybe I could get Sev to teach me Occlumency? That could keep her safe." He mused aloud.

"Or maybe you could try not dying?" Dudley suggested, looking somewhat exasperated. "Even if you do find a way to block her from everything that happens to you, I'm not sure it'd work anyway."

"What? If I find a way to do it, it won't work? That makes no sense."

"And you're supposed to be the clever one." Dudley said with a shake of his head. "You and Hermione have been bonded for half your lives, even if she could survive your death, how would she be able to keep going after that?"

"You don't think she'd eventually heal?" Harry was often amazed at how clever his brother could be. He wasn't particularly academic, but somehow, out of the three of them, Dudley often managed to be more perceptive than Harry and Hermione combined.

"Would you be able to?" Dudley asked, seeming to already know the answer. "Looking at your auras I think that it is possible that you could separate your souls enough for one of you to die, but even if one of you did it wouldn't work for long. You've kind of built your lives around each other, it'd be like taking away the bottom part of an upright from a rugby post; it just wouldn't be able to stand up."

"But it's not like we're co-dependent. I mean I feel her emotions and everything but I wouldn't do anything for her that I wouldn't do for you." Harry tried to explain. He'd always been told that Hermione's life was tied to his, but with Voldemort's return and the danger it placed him in, he wasn't willing to accept what Dudley was telling him.

Dudley rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I'm just telling you what we both know. I'm going to go get a hot chocolate before bed; do you want one as well?"

Harry shook his head and let his brother leave as he climbed onto his feet and began setting up beds for everyone on his bedroom floor.

Once he was done Harry pulled up the loose floorboard under his bed and retrieved Ron's wand.

Sitting on his bed Harry held out the wand and examined it. He had no idea of what he should do with it; part of him felt that the wand should be burnt, it had been used to kill Percy and he couldn't help but feel that everything about the wand had been tainted by this. And yet, it wasn't his wand, it was Ron's, and it had been Charlie's before him, and one of Mrs. Weasley's brothers' before that. He wasn't sure that he had any right to destroy it.

"Why do you have Ron's wand?"

Harry shoved the wand under his pillow and looked up to see Seamus standing in the doorway.

After Harry had been made Secret Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore sent Severus back to Voldemort and Remus to find the werewolves, before he himself left to see the Minister for Magic.

Harry and Dudley had been sent upstairs to sort out Harry's room whilst Sirius and Charity helped Seamus, Neville, and Dean plan what to tell their families about what had happened; Professor Dumbledore had decided that they should stay at the Terrace until after Percy's funeral. Harry had thought that this would keep them downstairs for much longer than it had seemed to.

"Just because you shove it under your pillow, doesn't mean I haven't seen it." Seamus said, entering the room and sitting on one of the air beds Harry had lain out on the floor.

Harry eyed Seamus uncertainly before sliding from his bed onto the floor. "I took it from Crouch. It...it's the wand that killed Percy."

Seamus stared, wide-eyed at the wand for several seconds before finally saying, "Are you going to tell Ron?"

"No. I can't...imagine if someone used _your_ wand to kill your mum."

Seamus seemed to ponder that for several seconds before finally saying, "He should know."

"Yeah, maybe but I'm not going to be the one to tell him. It's bad enough that he's lost his brother, but to find out _his_ wand killed him? I can't do that to him, Seamus."

Seamus pursed his lips, looking Harry up and down. "Fine, you know best."

"Look, Seamus..." Harry began after a pause, feeling the need to apologize for earlier. It might have seemed like a little thing but suggesting Seamus was a coward was wrong, a weakness only Harry knew about. "About earlier."

Seamus sighed and began rummaging through the things Dobby had brought back from the campsite. "Forget about it, Harry. It doesn't matter."

"_No_, it does. It was uncalled for and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- look, Shay, just listen for a second."

Seamus didn't stop sorting through his things. "Just leave it. You were angry; I get it. It's been a long night and you've been through a lot, I understand."

Harry watched Seamus for several long seconds; he looked more tired than upset. "Yeah, but-"

"For fuck's sake. It wasn't a nice thing t' say, but you gave you're life for me, Harry, I'm not going to fall out with you over a stupid comment. If it weren't for you I'd be dead."

"Wait, you don't think you owe me, do you?" Harry asked, moving closer to Seamus.

Refusing to look at Harry, Seamus picked up his fiddle, running his fingers over the case before opening it. Harry felt a sinking sensation in his stomach, Seamus's refusal to look at him confirmed his worries.

"What else am I supposed to think? You died, Harry, that's a big thing; a big debt."

"I didn't die." Harry ground out, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, annoyed that Seamus couldn't just see things from his perspective. "There _isn't_ a debt because _nothing_ actually happened."

"Fine, whatever you say." Seamus said in a tone that suggested he didn't believe what Harry was telling him.

"Don't be an idiot, mate." Harry said, feeling all of the energy drain out of him as he retrieved Ron's wand from under his pillow and hid it under the loose floorboard by his bed. "There's enough going on at the moment without you thinking you owe me."

"Yeah, fine. You're forgiven for the comment about me being a coward, after what you did for me I've got no right t' lecture you on puttin' your life at risk." Seamus said, not looking at Harry as he closed the fiddle case and propped it up against Harry's desk.

Harry brought his knees up to his chest and sighed, there was no point in getting angry. He was too tired to deal with Seamus' stupidity and needed sleep before he had to face the Weasleys in the morning.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Harry wasn't sure that anyone got much sleep that night. The sun had already begun to rise by the time they all finally went to bed, and after that with Harry, Hermione, Dudley, Seamus, Dean, _and_ Neville all packed into Harry's room it quickly heated up so that, even with the window open, it was too warm to sleep.

Harry thought he must have got _some_ sleep though; he remembered looking at his watch, then looking back the next minute to see that almost an hour had passed. The next time this happened Harry rolled over to find that it was ten o'clock and that Hermione, Seamus, and Neville had all disappeared from the bedroom. Already dreading his visit to the Burrow, which was planned for twelve o'clock Harry decided to get up; he couldn't sleep knowing he was going to see the Weasleys in two hours.

Breakfast was a quiet affair; instead of bringing up what had happened the previous night, Harry sat in silence eating his cereal and flicking through a copy of that morning's Daily Prophet whilst Hermione voiced her outrage, to anyone that would listen, over the fact that Barty Crouch's house elf had not been considered important enough to be listed among the dead.

The headline, in bold across the front page of the paper, was simply 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns' followed by a story detailing Harry's supposed death. Harry flicked through the paper disinterestedly, unable to let himself fully focus on what he was reading.

According to the paper, five people, not including the elf, had been killed during the battle at the World Cup; Harry was the first listed, followed by Barty Crouch Sr., Percy, a Ministry Official Harry had never heard of, and an unnamed Death Eater. After he'd skimmed an article about Pettigrew being found, which speculated that Sirius was not guilty of the crimes for which he'd been sent to Azkaban, Harry folded the newspaper and set it down on the table.

He wasn't sure that he'd ever be ready to visit the Burrow, not after what had happened to Percy. The thought occurred to Harry, as he was stepping out of the fireplace at the Burrow that last night, when he'd been trying to sleep, minutes had seemed to last for hours and yet, when he'd had only two hours before facing the Weasleys it felt like only a few minutes had passed.

He felt his eyes burn as his eyes found the Weasley family clock. It had had nine hands last time he'd seen it but Percy's hand was gone, whether it had been removed by one of the Weasleys or it had vanished upon Percy's death Harry wasn't sure, but there it stood, as a painful reminder to the Weasleys that their family of nine was now a family of eight. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and stepped further into the kitchen. He was here to comfort the Weasleys and to deliver to them Percy's final messages, it wasn't fair on them for him to break down now.

The Weasleys were waiting at the kitchen table for him. Someone, Harry couldn't remember who, had let them know that Harry had wanted to speak to them and there they were. Harry and Aunt Petunia offered their condolences, and Harry couldn't help but think how empty they seemed. Sure, he meant it when he said he was sorry for Percy's death, but what good could that do anyone now?

Harry and Aunt Petunia took their seats at the kitchen table, Harry unable to meet the Weasleys' eyes as he sat. He wasn't ready to see the accusation in their eyes. They'd been too grief stricken to blame him last night but now, for Harry at least, Percy's death seemed more real and surely they'd realize that Harry was the last person to see him alive. That Harry had encouraged him in his quest to become an Auror, and that after all of their training together Harry had been unable to save him.

He told them what had happened, told them everything, even the things he'd been unable to speak about the night before. If they could take any comfort from what Harry had to tell them, he owed it to them to give them it.

They sat listening to his story, Mrs. Weasley holding Ron against her chest, as though she was terrified if she let go something would happen to him too, her other hand was clutching Mr. Weasley's hand, her grip so tight that her knuckles had turned white. Fred and George seemed to be propping each other up, as though unable to sit up on their own and Ginny sat between Bill and Charlie, not crying and staring stonily at her wand which she'd placed on the table in front of her.

Mrs. Weasley was the first to move. When Harry got to the part in the story where Voldemort hit him with the Killing Curse she reached out, letting go of Mr. Weasley's hand and giving Harry's a comforting squeeze.

Harry ploughed on with his story, like before he knew he couldn't stop. He had to tell them everything and he knew that once he'd finished he would feel better. The Weasleys would understand, once they knew, and maybe when he finally looked Mrs. Weasley in the eyes he'd see understanding rather than condemnation. He described finding himself in the kitchen and even his offer to switch places with Percy.

At this Mrs. Weasley let out a loud sob and stood up, engulfing Harry in a tight hug.

"Oh, Harry." For several seconds she said nothing, just holding him tightly and stroking his hair. "You did everything you could have, more. No one would have expected that much. After all you've been through; I'm so grateful you're safe."

Harry froze as he registered what Mrs. Weasley was saying, she didn't blame him. Until that point, he hadn't realized how awful it would have been if the Weasleys _had_ blamed him for Percy's death.

Harry sniffed and wiped his face on the sleeve of his jumper as he began relaying Percy's final messages to his family.

When he was finished, the Weasleys sat in silence, taking in what Harry had said. Harry noticed that Mr. Weasley was still clutching Percy's glasses, as though he hadn't let them go since Harry had handed them to him and Bill ducked his head, looking completely broken as tears streamed down his face, both men had the same look, as though they blamed themselves; like they both believed that they had failed Percy. Ron looked pained, Charlie seemed exhausted, Fred appeared stunned, like he couldn't believe what had happened and George just seemed sad, the usual spark of mischief gone from his eyes.

The hardest to look at were Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley looked scared and confused, as though her greatest fear had just been realized and she was anticipating it happening again, her eyes kept flickering between her children, her husband, Harry and the clock by the fireplace as though taking an inventory, ensuring that they were all safe. Ginny seemed angry and kind of distant, he felt most guilty looking at her. He'd always seen her as Ron's little sister, the Chamber had maybe made her grow up faster but, despite her being only a year younger than him, he'd always thought of her as a kid, until now. She seemed to be like him, she wouldn't let it go; like him she'd want revenge.

She leant forward in her seat; her eyes shining with an emotion Harry couldn't quite place. "So will you do it? Will you teach me to fight?"

He looked from Mrs. Weasley to Mr. Weasley uncertain as to how they would react to Harry teaching their youngest daughter to fight, but couldn't quite understand what their expressions meant.

"If you're serious, and I mean really serious about this then yeah. I mean if your parents don't mind or anything, I'll help you learn to defend yourself." Harry said evasively, he'd taught Percy to fight and now he was dead, he wasn't quite sure about how the rest of the Weasley family would feel about him leading Ginny down the same path.

"I want to learn to _fight_." Ginny said fiercely. "Don't just say you'll teach me to defend myself, I want to fight them. I want to _kill_ Crouch."

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley admonished. "That's enough, you're _thirteen_. Yes, you can learn to defend yourself. It might be for the best if all of you learn basic defensive spells but I'll not have you learning to fight. If you _do_ want to be an Auror then there is plenty of time for you to learn to fight when you are older."

"Mum, if there's anything I learnt from Percy, it's that there might not be time." Ginny said turning to face her mother.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley snapped. "It's dangerous and unnecessary. Do you really think you could fight the Death Eaters? If you want to become an Auror, learn to _defend_ yourself and maybe learn how to stun. That is all you need to know. With You-Know-Who back it's useful for you to know how to defend yourself, but what reason could you possibly have to learn offensive magic?"

"But-"

Ginny began to protest but was cut off by her father who frowned and said quietly, "That's enough, Ginevra. This isn't the time to argue about this."

Ginny sank back into her seat, glaring at the table as she asked Harry, "You'll keep your promise?"

"I'll- yeah." Harry said slowly. "If you want to be an Auror, I'll help you. If you just want revenge, well..." He trailed off. He wanted to tell her that if she wanted revenge then he wouldn't help her but that wasn't fair. He had every intention of going after Crouch as soon as he was ready and to tell Ginny that she couldn't, would just be wrong. "Just forget it; it'll be years before either of us would be able to hold our own against him in a duel. It's dangerous and Crouch already got Perce, _don't_ put yourself in a position where that could happen to you... think of your family."

Ginny shot Harry a look which quite clearly stated that she thought him a hypocrite for bringing her family into the argument when he himself had just told them he'd offered to swap places with Percy, finally she nodded and said grudgingly, "Fine, for now we'll focus on defensive magic."

Harry watched the Weasleys carefully, trying to work out what he should say next. He'd spent a good portion of the time when he was supposed to be sleeping last night, agonizing over what to say to the Weasleys once he met them. Now he was here, sitting in front of them, he was struggling with finding a way to phrase what he wanted to say. As Secret-Keeper he had to tell them the location of the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and he felt that, after what had happened, the Weasleys should also know about the prophecy; however, he wasn't sure how to phrase it without making it sound as though he was trying to recruit them to fight Voldemort.

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to let you all know that if any of you ever need a safe place that the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London." Harry ran a hand through his hair as the Fidelius Charm took effect on the Weasleys. "There's something else I want to tell you too. I've told you how Voldemort returned but I think you also deserve to know _why_ I Voldemort wanted me, the reason why he tried to kill me when I was a baby."

_OOOOO_

The funeral was held five days after the World Cup in the tiny muggle church in Ottery St. Catchpole.

Harry had never been to a funeral, but afterwards, he couldn't really remember much of what had happened. He remembered the heat, it was possibly the hottest day of August and the conditions weren't helped by Harry's black robes and the sheer number of people packed into the tiny church. As Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny were pallbearers, when Mrs. Weasley had become so overwhelmed with grief that she'd struggled to even walk into the church, it had fallen to Mr. Weasley and Harry to support her and help her to her seat.

When it came time to give the eulogies, Mr. Weasley had barely gotten half way through his before his voice became so choked it was inaudible. In the end, Bill had to finish the eulogy; he was then followed by Auror Moody, who had been Percy's idol at the Ministry, and Professor Dumbledore.

They returned to the Burrow once the funeral and burial were over.

Leaving his family with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick, Harry headed off into the Burrow's garden in search of his friends.

He found Charlie sitting under a tree telling Ginny, Seamus, and Neville about the time, when Percy was five, he'd tried to sell Fred to a local shop keeper after one of the twins had bitten a chunk out of Percy's favourite book.

He was about to sit down with them when Ron approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder and whispering, "Can I have a word?"

His heart sunk, he'd thought that at least one of the Weasleys would blame him for Percy's death, but he'd desperately hoped that it wouldn't be Ron. Turning away from the group under the tree Harry nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Harry followed him back towards the house. Ron stopped when they were completely out of earshot and sat down on the grass. "How's Sirius?"

Harry stared at Ron for several seconds before sitting on the ground next to him. "He's not bad. He's staying with us for now, Dumbledore's handling everything with the Ministry. Now that they have Pettigrew, the Ministry has set a court date for the middle of September for his trial... the one he _didn't_ get when he was arrested." Pausing, Harry watched Ron fiddle with a loose thread on his robes and decided that now wasn't really the time to moan about the injustice of Sirius's imprisonment. "What did you want to talk about?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, not looking at Harry as he continued to fiddle with his robes.

"You didn't ask me to walk with you over here just to ask about Sirius."

Ron straightened, eying Harry warily. "Did Perce r-really say that to you?" He asked looking as though he wasn't particularly sure he wanted to hear Harry's answer.

Harry nodded.

"D-do you think, Hermione will help me with Potions?"

"Yeah. Of Course she will...do you want to tell me why you're asking?" Harry asked tentatively, he wasn't all that certain about how you were supposed to treat people whose brothers had just died and so tried to ask Ron as gently as he could.

"It's stupid really." He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll never be good enough... after what Percy said I just thought I'd like to do something to help people, y'know? I was thinking about training to be a healer, I even owled Madam Pomfrey about it before I realized I'd never get the grades."

"That's brilliant." Harry said earnestly. "Severus is a git about teaching properly, but Hermione will be more than willing to help, you'll make a great healer, mate."

"So you think Percy would have approved?" Ron asked uncertainly, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his robes.

Harry smiled and put an arm around Ron's shoulders. "You are kidding, aren't you? If he was here now he'd already have introduced you to the Auror Office's Field Healer and quizzed her on the best way for you to get onto the Healer Programme."

Ron laughed and rubbed his eyes. "I could just imagine him lecturing me on the NEWTs I'd need to do, and I'd get annoyed at how it's not even OWLs 'till next year and then he'd do that serious face like Mum's that means you're in for a massive lecture which would start with the words 'Now Ron'."

He sighed and leant back on the grass. "You'll do brilliant, mate."

The group by the tree were still talking and Harry found himself watching Seamus. After what had happened at the World Cup Seamus, Neville, and Dean had all agreed to spend the remainder of the summer holidays at the Terrace and none of the boys had managed to get much sleep since the World Cup. Seamus however, seemed to have had less sleep than any of the other boys.

When Harry had asked Neville and Dean if they'd notice anything unusual about Seamus, Neville had said that he hadn't seen Seamus sleep since he'd arrived at the Terrace. Dean said that the night after the World Cup he'd been woken up by Seamus having a nightmare, but hadn't wanted to say anything because Seamus had been in a foul mood all week and he didn't want to make him worse. Harry had said this was stupid and that Seamus couldn't be any more unpleasant if he tried.

Despite Seamus's bad attitude over the past week, Harry couldn't bring himself to be angry at him for it. Already Mrs. Finnegan, who had been busy at work since the World Cup, had tried to insist that Seamus visit a Mind Healer about what had happened. They'd been through a lot and Harry wondered if, after seeing into Voldemort's mind through his diary, Seamus was affected by it more than he was, especially after seeing Voldemort in person.

Harry had noticed that when Seamus wasn't being moody with everyone for little things like breathing too loudly', he'd become quieter and more withdrawn, spending hours a night reading in Harry's room or playing music on his fiddle at the end of the garden.

Watching Seamus now, Harry couldn't help but, selfishly, feel a pang of jealousy at the way that Seamus was laughing with the Weasleys and Neville when he'd been so miserable with him all week. Despite this, Harry could tell that Seamus wasn't feeling good. Obviously having just been to a funeral, no one was feeling at their best but the way that Seamus was seemed to go beyond that. He'd lost weight, not enough that it was particularly obvious, but enough that he didn't look quite right and his inability to sleep without nightmares was becoming a problem. He'd already done some research into the subject but that didn't seem to be quite enough.

He sighed again and made a mental note to investigate it further, there _had_ to be another way for him to help him.

His gaze flickered from Seamus to Ron whose eyes were fixed on the tiny church down the hill, where Percy was buried.

"How are you doing?" The question sounded stupid, obviously Ron wouldn't be well, but he'd told Harry about his plans to become a healer and he'd been so understanding when Harry had visited the day after the World Cup, Harry couldn't really gauge how well he was coping.

Still staring at the church, Ron rubbed the back of his neck before finally turning to face Harry. "I don't know. Sometimes on a morning I half expect to come down to breakfast and find him sitting, fully dressed at the breakfast table. I think everyone else does too." He frowned and wiped his eyes. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to be coping with this. I spent last night sitting with Ginny in her room, just talking about Perce and what he was like when we were younger, and she remembered a story Bill told her about Perce accidentally swearing at Mum when he was three. It makes you feel better when you remember the funny stuff but worse too, I kind of feel like I'm supposed to just stay sad."

"I don't think Percy would be annoyed at you for laughing at funny stories. Isn't that what funerals are for, remembering all the good stuff? He wasn't sad when he died." Harry paused and considered what he had just said. "Well he was, but because he wouldn't see any of you for a long time. I think he just wants you all to be happy... not that you can't be sad about him being gone, I think that's normal."

Ron sighed. "I'm just looking forward to going back to school. It's just weird, Bill and Charlie are never here together for this long and there's a part of me that wants to make the most of them being here, but at the same time it's just weird. We're all just here, together reminding each other of what happened; at least at school I'll have stuff to keep myself busy."

"We're all here for you, mate. Hermione, Neville, Seamus, and Dean are all at my house so if you need any of us just floo. Aunt Tuney will be fine with you coming over whenever, if you just want to be on your own for a bit or talk to someone else." Harry wrapped his arm back around Ron's shoulder and pulled him into a half hug. "You're a part of _my _family and I'll always be here for you."

Smiling, Ron stiffed loudly and returned Harry's hug. "I love you, mate. I appreciate everything you've done and you're part of my family too... it seems a kind of an insensitive thing to say after I've just lost a brother, but we've all considered you to be part of the family for years so you should remember too, that we're here for you if you ever need anything."

_OOOOO_

Harry had almost forgotten that he was supposed to have died at the World Cup, until he came downstairs for breakfast on the day before he was due to leave for school, to find Aunt Petunia, Sirius and Severus in the kitchen, arguing over whether Harry would be allowed to go back to school the next day.

He paused outside the door, wanting to hear what they had to say before interrupting their conversation to tell them that he _would _be going back to Hogwarts regardless of whether he was supposed to have died or not.

"With everything that is happening at Hogwarts this year, even if Albus bans every student from writing to their parents about Harry, there is no way that we could keep the fact that Harry is still alive from the Dark Lord." Severus insisted.

Harry heard Sirius snort. "And keeping Harry a secret from Voldemort is your only motive. No doubt you want that little Malfoy git to be chosen instead of Harry, don't you? I bet when Dumbledore and Bagman planned it they both knew that Harry would be chosen without even having to try out."

"Yes, Black, because I base all of my decisions based on inane interschool competitions and my wish for Lucius Malfoy's son to be chosen for the school team."

"Yeah, well, for a minute, let's just forget the fact that you'll do anything to fit in with those pureblood bastards. Harry can't not go back to Hogwarts, sooner or later Voldemort will find out that Harry's alive and come after him again. When that happens he can't have just spent a year dossing about here not doing anything, when he should be learning how to defend himself."

"He can be homeschooled." Severus argued, his voice strained as though he was struggling to not shout at Sirius.

"He _could_ be homeschooled, if the Ministry didn't enforce The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery... which they do. As soon as Harry does magic again the Trace will reactivate and they'll know that he's alive."

Severus let out a laugh of derision. "Since when did you become so unwilling to break the rules, Black? I'm certain that you've known about the limitations of the Decree and the Trace since you first performed accidental magic. I bet you and Potter took full advantage of that fact during the holidays you spent together."

"And what's that supposed to mean, Snape?"

"You know exactly what I mean. There is no way that people as puerile as you and Potter could ever have done so well in school without an unfair advantage."

"Yeah, you're right, we did have an advantage. It's called being better than _you_. James and I were everything you wanted to be but couldn't, Snivellus."

Harry felt something nudge his arm and turned to see Seamus standing behind him. Harry tilted his head in the direction of the door and put a finger to his lips. Seamus nodded and raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to the door so that he too could hear what was going on inside the kitchen.

Severus hissed. "I see some things never change, you're still the arrogant, attention seeking bastard you always were, Black. No wonder your parents disowned you, you're an embarrassment. _You_ think you're so much better than your relatives because you're the Black who decided to break tradition and not follow the Dark Lord. But you're just the same as the rest of them, everything you've ever achieved in your pathetic life is down to your family name and any door your name doesn't automatically open for you, a sack of Galleons should do the job nicely, you're a disgrace."

Seamus widened his eyes and Harry winced, he'd never really appreciated how much Severus and Sirius hated each other. Thinking about what had been said and how much Severus and Sirius apparently hated each other, Harry was surprised that their argument hadn't escalated into a duel.

"I knew it. You've always been jealous of my blood status. I'm surprised they even branded you with the Dark Mark. Not only was your father a Muggle, but in the wizarding world your name means _nothing_. The Death Eaters might believe that blood traitors are worthless but to them, even the Weasleys are worth more than you. At least they're pureblood, blood's all that matters to gits like you, isn't it?" Sirius sneered and Harry found himself leaning closer to the door to see what would be said next. "You know what, Snivellus? I pity you. You made the mistake of giving blood status too much importance before and now you're doing it again. You hated Muggleborns because they didn't fit Voldemort's agenda and you hate purebloods because you'll always believe we're self-entitled pricks who are so concerned with our own self-importance that you'll never be accepted by us anyway."

"Don't pretend you're not the same as the rest of them, Black."

Sirius laughed. "You've disappointed me, Snape. I'd actually thought you'd changed. Don't get me wrong, I still hated you for being an arrogant dick, but I thought your attachment to Harry and Hermione meant that you'd changed and finally grown up and stopped complaining about how unfair your life is. But you still believe we're all out to get you, don't you? You still hate me for _daring_ to walk away from my important pureblood family and you hated James for staying with his. Harry seems to care about you, I can't see why, and I thought that maybe you had actually put aside your childishness for the sake of him. But you haven't, have you? It's always about revenge, you still hate James and I bet you just love that you're raising Lily's son because he couldn't." He laughed hollowly and there was a chink of china as someone picked up a teacup. "Fair enough, hate us for bullying you at school and for the stupid trick with Remus but you can't hate him for marrying Lily, because _she_ picked him. You know what the best thing about that is? She only ended up with him because of _your_ stupid blood prejudice, he _never_ called her mudblood and that's why she chose him, because despite all of his arrogance and childishness he was a better man than you'll ever be. Maybe if she'd picked you they wouldn't have died."

Harry was completely torn abut whose side he'd have taken if he was actually in the kitchen. He'd known Severus longer and loved him like an uncle, but Sirius was important too and _he _was the one defending Harry's father.

"Yes, I am to blame for Lily's death. I've never denied that fact, but you resorting to a cheap shot like that just proves how childish you are. I love Lily, I've loved her since before I went to Hogwarts, but I married Charity. Maybe if I hadn't called her a mudblood Lily may have chosen me, but that isn't to say that I would have chosen her. I'll always regret what happened with Lily, but I love Charity now and _she_ will always come first." Severus said flatly, as though he was completely bored with what Sirius had said. "Yes, I may never be as _wonderful_ as you and Potter, but at least _I_ was here for Harry when neither of you could be. Potter is dead and you were in Azkaban. I may have many flaws but unlike you, I can say I was _always_ here for Harry... and I always will be."

"You might have been here for him but that doesn't mean to say you know what's best for him." Sirius said quietly, in an almost reasoning tone. "I _hate_ the fact that I wasn't there and I've accepted that you're part of Harry's life. I let you decide when Harry asked about becoming an Animagus but right now I think you're wrong about Harry not going back to Hogwarts. He gets seven years there and they might be the best years of his life. Are you really going to pull him out of school and into the war before he's ready? When I finished Hogwarts my best friend was murdered and I spent twelve years in Azkaban for it. He only has four years left there and I wouldn't want him to miss a single one."

"So you'd put him at risk so that you can vicariously re-live your school days?" Severus asked with a sneer.

"No, I'd have him at Hogwarts, the _safest_ place in the country, learning to defend himself against Voldemort." Sirius said firmly.

It was at this point that Aunt Petunia finally decided to speak. "As much as I've enjoyed your bickering and how grateful I am to you both for caring about Harry. Neither of you get to decide whether or not Harry goes back to school, _I_ am his mother... well as good as, and I think-"

Harry hadn't even realized that Uncle Vernon was in there until he interrupted Aunt Petunia. "Maybe we should see what Harry thinks." There was a long silence followed by the scraping of a chair and the kitchen door opening. "So, what _do_ you think?"

Harry grabbed Seamus and pulled him under Uncle Vernon's arm, Aunt Petunia looked annoyed that Harry had been listening in, Severus seemed to be embarrassed, and Sirius looked completely unapologetic.

Harry dragged Seamus, who seemed rather reluctant to go near Severus, across the kitchen and pushed him into a seat before pouring himself and Seamus a mug of tea from the pot on the table and asking, "How did you know I was there?"

Uncle Vernon pointed to the gap between the kitchen door and the floor and shrugged. "Because you're the sneakiest, most nosey, non-Slytherin in this house."

Harry shrugged unrepentantly. "Dudley _did_ warn you, when he started Smeltings, that there was too much clearance between that door and the floor." Harry added milk to his tea, looking from Sirius to Severus and back again. "You know, I never realized quite how much you two hated one another, I think my favourite bit was when Severus called Sirius a bastard but I think Sirius calling Malfoy a git comes in at a close second."

Uncle Vernon playfully cuffed Harry around the back of the head as he took his seat at the table. "Watch your language." He handed the sugar bowl to Harry and raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet you've already made up your mind about what's going to happen, so let's hear your argument."

Harry glanced apologetically over to Severus, he really hated the idea of going against Severus when he was only looking out for what was best for Harry, but there really was no way that he wasn't going to go back to Hogwarts.

"I want to go back to school. The best advantage I can gain from everyone thinking I'm dead is that, tomorrow when we go back to Hogwarts, everyone's attention will be focused on me and not on the Weasleys. They don't need everyone to be staring and gossiping about them and I don't really care what they say about me anymore so at least Ron, Ginny, and the twins don't have to worry about the entire school bothering them."

"Well, then I suppose it's settled, you'll go back to school on the condition that you _don't _sneak out of school to go walking or visit the village. If you're going back there I want to know that you'll be safe and I'll be asking Severus for daily reports on your behaviour. If I get any hint that you've left the school grounds without permission I'll have you brought back here and you can be homeschooled am I clear?" Uncle Vernon said firmly as both Aunt Petunia and Severus opened their mouths to argue with Harry.

Harry nodded his head without even having to think about the conditions of him being allowed back to Hogwarts. He didn't really have any intention of breaking the rules his uncle had set for him, for one thing there was just something about Uncle Vernon setting rules that made you feel really bad even if you just considered breaking them, and for another he planned to spend all of his free time practicing his duelling so would have no time for sneaking out of the school. And if he found that he really did need to leave the school for something he had the cloak and map and so wouldn't be caught anyway.

"Now, before everyone gets distracted by getting ready for the trip to Kings Cross tomorrow," Uncle Vernon continued, satisfied that Harry wouldn't break the rules that had been set for him. "I think that Harry and Sirius need to sit down and have serious discussion about this animal transformation thing. If it's really as dangerous as I've been led to believe it is, I think that you need to carefully plan how you are going to go about learning this _before_ Harry tries anything."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

"Harry, can I have a word?" Seamus asked, appearing at Harry's bedroom door and peering into the room.

Having spent most of the previous day with Sirius beginning to learn the theory behind Animagus transformations, Harry hadn't had a chance to pack anything and, as they were due to leave for the Leaky Cauldron in half an hour, was now frantically throwing everything he needed for school into his trunk.

"Uh, yeah I suppose so. Throw us that jumper." Harry gestured to his knitted Weasley jumper from the previous year.

Glancing to where Harry pointed Seamus picked up the jumper, folded it and walked over to where Harry's trunk was balanced on his bed. Looking inside the trunk, Seamus tutted and began pulling Harry's clothes back out. "What's wrong with folding your clothes? It's so much easier to pack when everything's neat." He began refolding Harry's clothes and placing each item neatly back into the trunk.

Deciding that there was no need to bother packing if Seamus was going to do it for him, Harry sat down on his bed and asked, "So what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Seamus glanced over at him in annoyance and continued Harry's packing. "I just wanted to ask you about yesterday."

"The Animagus stuff?" Harry asked, watching as Seamus added Harry's spare trainers to the trunk. "I know you're worried about it, but Sirius has told me the basics and at the moment it's just about trying to find my animal, it's just meditation and stuff so you don't need to worry about that bit. And I'll not be doing it completely without a teacher at school either because he's given me this," Harry dug a parcel out from beneath the clothes Seamus had unpacked from Harry's trunk. "So that I can call him with any questions I have about the transformation. It's a two way mirror." Harry added at Seamus's questioning look.

Eyeing the mirror with uncertainty, Seamus took it from Harry and wrapped it in a scarf before adding it to the trunk. "I don't know if I'm reassured by that or worried that you're actually going to go through with it. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to know about; I wanted to ask about Snape."

"What's worried you this time?" Harry asked wearily. Seamus had never trusted Severus, and this distrust had only gotten worse since he'd looked into Voldemort's mind and seen, from his perspective, Severus as a Death Eater.

"It's just what Sirius said, about Snape wanting revenge." Seamus paused to collect Harry's books from the desk. "Have you ever thought he might still be, you know a-"

"I think you might have misunderstood what Sirius was getting at, mate." Harry said with a small smile as he stuffed a handful of socks into his trunk.

"I know it sounds stupid, since you've known him all your life, but how am I supposed to trust him when I've seen everything he's done? I'm just worried that you're putting too much faith in the wrong people." He snatched the socks back out of the trunk and put them back on Harry's bed. "If you can't pack properly just let me do it, I've no idea why your family lets you pack your own stuff, how can you ever find anything in here at school."

Harry laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not complaining if you want to do all the packing, I'll just sit here and watch. What Sirius meant by getting revenge was that the only reason he spent any time with me is as revenge. Sev and my dad hated each other at school and both loved my mum." Harry paused and threw a book at the door to close it; he didn't want Severus to hear him talking about him to Seamus.

"Severus did help raise me for my mother's sake but I think another part of him did want revenge. My dad was a bit of a dick to him at school, not that Sev wasn't just as bad, but I think my dad had a lot of what Severus wanted- You can't tell anyone I'm telling you this," Harry said suddenly, thinking about how horrified Severus would be if anyone at school found out about what he was telling Seamus.

"I won't tell anyone." Seamus said solemnly. "I just want to be sure we really can trust Snape, especially now that _Voldemort's _back."

"Okay well, Severus's parents weren't very nice to him when he was younger. His dad was a Muggle... to be honest he was a bit like your dad, he hated magic but Sev's mum loved him and did everything she could to keep him around for Sev, even though he was awful to them both. In contrast to this, my grandparents apparently spoilt my dad rotten, he was born when they were quite old and Sirius said they just gave him everything they could, which was quite a bit since apparently they were as rich as the Malfoys. I think they were a bit like me and Malfoy, only Severus was quite jealous of my dad, and Malfoy is too arrogant to be jealous of anyone. I think when Aunt Petunia called Sev when my parents died, he couldn't resist the idea of being able to raise me when, in his opinion my dad had failed. Y'know, he was doing the one thing my dad would never be able to do."

"And you're okay with that?" Seamus asked, pausing in his packing to frown at Harry.

"What's there to be not okay with? His motives might have been wrong to start off with but he's always done his best for me and he's part of my family." Harry shrugged. "What's the point in having a family if you can't forgive them for silly little things like that?"

"But you shouldn't need to forgive your family."

"I don't know, I'm always forgiving my family and they're always forgiving me, I think it makes us love each other more." He stretched and handed Seamus the book from his nightstand. "Obviously it's harder to forgive someone if you really love them but I think eventually you come around."

Seamus stared at Harry for several seconds with an unreadable expression on his face before finally closing Harry's trunk with a loud click. "Maybe you're right. You're not annoyed at me are you? He's your uncle and here I am asking questions like that about your relatives... I know _I_ wouldn't be too happy if someone questioned my mum's motives."

Harry tilted his head and watched Seamus as he fiddled uncertainly with the lock on Harry's trunk. Maybe if Ron, or Dean, or Neville had kept quizzing him on how good Severus really was Harry would have gotten annoyed, how many times did he need to tell them that he trusted Severus before they stopped acting like he was about to go back to Voldemort? This was Seamus though and he was different, he knew better than anyone what Severus _had_ done and Harry would do just about anything to keep him from going through something like what happened with the diary again.

"No, how could I be annoyed at you for worrying about me... even if I was annoyed, I'd forgive you because you're important to me."

"Well that's nice to know, I'll try not to question your family in the future; if you and Dumbledore trust Snape then that's enough for me." The expression on Seamus's face when he said this; made Harry stomach give a funny little jolt.

Harry patted Seamus on the shoulder as he stood up and attempted to pick up his broom, owl cage and trunk. "I can't really blame you for not trusting Sev after all that stuff with the diary."

"Merlin you really are useless, it's not that difficult to carry a trunk, an owl cage, and a broom, here let me take that." Seamus took Harry's trunk from him and headed to the door.

"I think you might have to stay here at the end of every holiday so you can pack my trunk _and _carry it for me. You can't even get a house elf to do that for you without Hermione shooting you nasty looks."

_OOOOO_

Eyes followed Harry from the moment he stepped out of the fireplace at platform nine and three quarters. Harry pulled his school hat further down his forehead to obscure his scar, not that it helped much since his face was so recognizable now that the scar made no difference.

Once he'd said goodbye to his family, Harry let Uncle Vernon escort him onto the train, apparently Aunt Petunia was certain that a Death Eater would kidnap him on the short walk from the fireplace to the carriage, which looked out onto the crowded platform, and that the presence of Uncle Vernon would act as a deterrent. Harry didn't bother to argue with his aunt's ridiculous logic, grateful that at least he didn't have to make an idiot of himself trying to juggle all of his possessions as he boarded the train.

When he was certain that Harry was safe in his compartment, Uncle Vernon repeated his warning to Harry about him leaving school grounds without permission before giving both Harry and Hermione a hug and leaving the train.

It had been just over a week since Percy had died and Ron and Ginny had both decided that it would be best if they both returned to school. Ginny had wanted to get started with learning to duel as soon as she could and Ron had just wanted things to go back to normal after spending the week having nothing to think about other than the fact that his brother was dead.

Both Ron and Ginny joined Harry, Hermione, Seamus, Neville, and Dean in their compartment. According to them, the twins hadn't really felt up to coming back to school, but after hearing that Ron and Ginny had already planned to return had decided to come back in order to keep an eye on their younger siblings. Apparently, Charlie had applied to transfer from the dragon reserve in Romania to the one in Wales and was due to return to work mid-September and Bill had transferred from Egypt to Italy in order to be closer to his parents.

Fortunately, as Harry had anticipated, more people seemed interested in Harry's supposed resurrection than they did in bothering the Weasleys for details of their brother's death.

Several people came to visit them in their compartment during their journey to Hogwarts. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were the first; apparently Malfoy had heard a rumour that Harry was still alive and wanted to verify it for himself.

"No doubt so that you can report back to Voldemort." Ginny said with loathing, her hand twitching towards her wand.

Malfoy's eyes flashed as he turned to Ginny. "Ah, Weasley, I'm surprised to see you here after what happened to your sorry excuse for a-"

He was cut off by Hermione who'd stood up before anyone else could react and had her wand pressed to Malfoy's throat. "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I was you, Malfoy, you don't want to give me an excuse to hex you."

Malfoy's eyes shone with fear as he took a step back out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle appeared to be too stunned by Hermione's threat to even attempt to protect Malfoy.

"Now, now, Granger, with the Dark Lord back it isn't a good idea for Mudbloods to get ideas above their station, it could end very _badly_ for you." He tried to push the wand away from his throat.

Ginny stood up behind Hermione, her wand trained on Malfoy over Hermione's shoulder.

Malfoy sneered, looking too afraid for it to really have the effect he wanted it to, and looked around the compartment. "What sorry excuses for wizards you all are, letting girls fight your battles for you, a Mudblood and a blood traitor no less. With the calibre of wizard they're letting into Gryffindor these days I'm not surprised Crouch killed that blood traitor so easily."

Harry, Ron and Neville all made to get out of their seats but didn't even have a chance to stand up before Hermione swung her arm back, slapping Malfoy across the face with as much strength as she could muster.

Malfoy staggered back as everyone in the compartment froze, staring at Hermione in amazement.

Harry was the first to move, grabbing Hermione by the wrist as she swung her arm back to hit Malfoy again. "Get _off_, Harry." She hissed, fighting for Harry to let go of her hand.

From the corner of his eye, Harry could see Neville and Dean wrestling Ron and Ginny back into their seats as they attempted to lunge at Malfoy.

"I suggest you get out of this compartment right now, Malfoy." Seamus said, his voice hard and emotionless. He glanced over to Ron and Ginny. "I wouldn't like to be you if they get to you before you're gone... Harry's not far from snapping either and I reckon for now, with his resurrection, he could get away with just about anything."

Holding a hand to where Hermione had slapped him, Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Is that a threat, Finnegan?"

"Yes, it is." Seamus raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Malfoy. "I'd leave now if I was you, you wouldn't want to see what a bunch of '_Mudbloods_ and blood traitors' can do when they're really angry."

With one last furious looked aimed at Hermione, Malfoy turned on his heel and swept out of the compartment, slamming the door closed behind him.

"Why did you hold me back?" Ginny demanded, rounding on Neville as Malfoy left.

"He'll go running to Snape the moment we get back to Hogwarts. He probably wouldn't punish Hermione for attacking him, but I can't say the same for either of you." Neville said looking between Ron and Ginny. "Malfoy's not worth getting in trouble over, you both have things you want to do when we get back to school and you don't want to waste time in detention because of Malfoy."

Harry shook his head in disgust as he pulled Hermione into the seat next to him, he still wasn't sure that she wouldn't go running after Malfoy to curse him. "He's such a bastard; I wish I'd had a chance to get his dad like I got Pettigrew, that would have wiped that smirk of his face."

"He's lucky Fred and George weren't in here." Ron said darkly, glaring at the compartment door. "You wouldn't have been able to hold all of us back and if the twins had gotten hold of him..." Ron shook his head grimly.

"That was amazing you know." Harry said almost in awe, taking Hermione's hand and turning it over so that he could check if she had hurt herself. "Your hand's not sore is it? I know a couple of healing charms I could try out if you've hurt yourself."

Hermione flexed her hand as though to prove to Harry she was fine and shook her head. "I just wish they'd caught his father at the World Cup, we all know he's a Death Eater. That would have wiped that disgusting smirk off his face."

Harry smiled and tilted his head to get a better look at Hermione's face. "I can't imagine Malfoy smirking for a long time after what just happened, that'll be all over the school before dinner and then most of the rest of the school will love you almost as much as I do." He grinned and ruffled her hair in the way he knew she hated. "Just wait 'till I tell Dudley about this, he'll be so proud."

The compartment door slammed closed and Harry looked up, half expecting to see Malfoy back in the compartment. Instead he looked up just in time to see Seamus disappear from outside the compartment door.

"What's that all about?" Harry asked looking around the compartment, thinking that Seamus must have told one of them where he was going.

Everyone shrugged, looking just as confused as Harry.

"You don't think he's gone after Malfoy, do you?" Neville asked.

"Do you think we should go after him?" Harry asked, worried about what kind of trouble Seamus could get into if he'd gone in search of Malfoy.

Dean shook his head. "He'll be fine; he just looked a bit annoyed. He's not stupid enough to go picking fights with Slytherins on his own, even Malfoy had Crabbe and Goyle with him and we all know he's a complete idiot."

"I think we should go to Professor Dumbledore when we get to school." Hermione said decisively, sitting up in her seat.

"What, about Seamus storming out of the compartment?" Ron asked.

"_No_, about what happened with Malfoy. The professors should know."

"You're already considering turning yourself in?" Harry asked staring at Hermione as though she was stupid. "All you did was slap him."

"You're being purposefully stupid aren't you?" She said, frustrated. "We should tell Professor Dumbledore what Malfoy said. He as good as admitted that his father is a Death Eater and he can't just go around saying things like that to people. He should be punished." Hermione looked close to tears.

"Going to the professors won't do anything. We all know that Severus won't punish Malfoy; he can't now that Voldemort is back." Harry said flatly, wishing that his friends didn't give him _that _look when he mentioned Severus, as though he was an idiot for trusting him. "Don't worry about it, Malfoy will get what's coming to him soon enough; Voldemort hurts his followers just as quickly as he hurts his enemies. It won't be long before Malfoy signs up to the Death Eaters and once you sign up you can't quit. I almost feel sorry for him; he's got no idea what his father has him involved in."

Hermione pursed her lips, looking worried. "You don't think he knows what becoming a Death Eater means?"

"If Voldemort manages to regain his power fast enough, I think Malfoy will end up just like Sirius's brother, Regulus. The only Death Eater I saw who was genuinely happy to see Voldemort back was Crouch and I reckon he lost it in Azkaban, the rest kind of seemed scared. No doubt Malfoy's dad filled his head with stories about the glory days when Purebloods were on top, he wouldn't have told him about how Voldemort humiliates and tortures his followers." Harry told her. Out of everyone at Hogwarts, Harry hated Malfoy the most, but even his hatred of Malfoy wasn't enough to stop him pitying him for what his future held. Malfoy didn't have the guts to be a Death Eater, Harry imagined that once Voldemort marked him Malfoy would probably last a year at most.

Dean licked his lips nervously. "He's really that bad, then? Even to his followers?" He asked his voice low as though he was afraid to voice his question.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and turned to face the compartment. "Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to _cut off his own hand_ so that he could be brought back. He told me that if he hadn't wanted to kill me he would have liked to see me duel Pettigrew, he really doesn't care if his followers live or die. When I attacked Crouch, who's supposed to be his favourite, he just seemed annoyed that I didn't use magic. Lucius Malfoy and all the other Death Eaters with kids, have pretty much signed their kids up for a war they can't fight." Harry said. He'd thought a lot about this since Voldemort's return. There was no way Malfoy could know what being a Death Eater meant. None of the Death Eaters seemed to have really known what following Voldemort would really mean, he'd seen that with Pettigrew, who he'd pitied before realizing that he deserved everything he got. "They think they're exempt from Voldemort's persecution, but what they don't realize is that he's insane. He might believe that Purebloods are better but when it comes to torturing people he's pretty much indiscriminate."

"Someone should warn them." Hermione said, looking out of the compartment door as though considering going after Malfoy to tell him.

"Don't be silly. They're not going to not be Death Eaters because a bunch of 'blood traitors' and 'Mudbloods' told them not to. They'll sign up and they'll die and it will be their own stupid faults."

"And you don't feel sorry for them at all?" Hermione asked appalled.

"Hermione, we're at _war_, they're fine to believe what they believe but when they start attacking us for being different they need to be stopped, whether they knew what they were getting into or not." Ginny said, speaking up for the first time since Seamus left.

"And that means they deserve to die?" Hermione said, looking at Ginny as though she couldn't quite believe what she had said.

"There are plenty of Death Eaters who knew what they were getting into." Neville added, looking as though he really didn't want to get involved in the argument.

Hermione ran a hand through her hair in a gesture she had apparently picked up through the bond from Harry and hissed, "So because _some_ Death Eaters are just as evil as Voldemort they all deserve to be murdered? If that's your attitude then how can any of you claim to be better than they are?"

Neville raised his hands in Hermione's direction, looking quite terrified as he hurriedly said, "I'm not agreeing with them, I'm just pointing out for every Death Eater like Malfoy there _are_ plenty like Crouch and the Lestranges. They might be scared of Voldemort but they're happy enough to torture and kill innocent people."

Hermione sighed and Harry felt through the bond that she hadn't even thought of the Lestranges. "_Oh_,Neville, I didn't mean to upset you." She said looking from Ron, to Ginny, and then to Neville. "I just don't know how it's possible justify the lengths we would need to go to for us to 'stop' them."

Harry smiled and rested his head on Hermione's shoulder, watching as the countryside passed by the compartment window in a blur of blues and greens. Hermione _was _right, but in Harry's mind she was always right so that wasn't much of a revelation. The problem was that it wasn't as easy as Hermione suggested to be good, he'd come so close to killing Sirius and Pettigrew and knew that without a doubt, his training with Ginny _would _ push him closer to going to the lengths Hermione viewed as unjustifiable.

Seamus didn't return to the compartment that afternoon but they were joined by Cedric, who stopped by to berate Harry for pretending to be dead and to pass on his condolences to Ron and Ginny. Once Cedric had left the compartment a steady stream of people came to see them, first was the twins, who wanted to check on everyone, followed by Luna Lovegood, several Gryffindor third years and most of the other fourth year students from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.

_OOOOO_

It wasn't until they had gotten off the train at Hogsmeade station that Harry and his friends finally found Seamus. Ron was the first to see him and cupping his hands over his mouth, called to him across the busy platform.

Seamus appeared through the crowd, one hand pushing aside students as he tried to fight his way through and the other held possessively in the hand of a tall Ravenclaw girl whose name Harry thought was Abigail Huffman.

"Who's _she_?" Dean demanded, eying the girl warily.

"_She's_ my girlfriend." Seamus said, his eyes flickering nervously over his friends' faces.

"You're kidding? No one in their right mind would go out with you." Dean said with a snort. "You hexed the last girl that fancied you."

"Yeah, well, what do you know about it? Do _you _have a girlfriend?" Seamus said defensively as Huffman's arm snaked its way possessively around his waist.

"Seamus, do you think we could have a word with you, in _private_?" Hermione asked, looking pointedly at Huffman.

"Why?" She demanded, staring unblinkingly back at Hermione. "So that you can convince him to break up with me?"

Harry glanced at Hermione and wondered, not for the first time whether Hermione had feelings for Seamus. He'd definitely felt a jolt of anger and something else, maybe jealousy, when he'd first seen Seamus come through the crowd and imagined that it must have come from Hermione.

He narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Bugger off, Hoffman."

She looked affronted. "It's _Huffman_." She said coldly before turning to Seamus. "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?"

Seamus shrugged. "What do you want me to do, hex him?"

She let out a huff of annoyance and turned away, storming across the platform in the direction that she and Seamus had come from.

"_She's _your girlfriend?" Neville asked sceptically, watching her as she disappeared into the crowd. "I've heard she's not very nice."

"Did she seriously think _you'd _defend her against Harry?" Dean asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seamus asked.

"She's been your girlfriend, what? Three hours? Harry's been your friend for nearly four years _and_ he took a Killing Curse for you." Dean pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "You can't put some girl before your friends, no offence you two, you don't count in that." He added with a glance in Hermione and Ginny's direction.

"Well it's not like Harry doesn't put Hermione first." Seamus said, looking somewhat hurt. "I don't get why I can't have a girlfriend just because you lot don't want me to." He said as they began making their way towards the carriages.

"It's not that we don't want you to, it's just that it's a bit out of the blue, isn't it?" Neville said in an attempt to diffuse the argument.

"How is it out of the blue? She's attractive and she likes me, what do you expect me to do?" Seamus asked.

"Do you like her? I've never heard you talk about her before." Harry said pointedly, feeling another funny twinge when Seamus called Huffman 'attractive'.

"I think she's pretty, isn't that good enough?"

There was something about Huffman that Harry really didn't like but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He could hardly tell Seamus though, so instead he shrugged and said, "Yeah, fair enough." In a tone that quite clearly stated that he didn't think what Seamus had said was a good enough reason.

Before anyone could answer, Harry stalked away to one of the carriages, too annoyed to even notice the skeletal horses that were now pulling along the carriages, which once appeared to move on their own.

He clambered into the carriage, followed closely by Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, and rested his head against the window, not talking as the carriage pulled out of the station and onto the road up to the castle.

_OOOOO_

_Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Leaning against the window, Harry could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as their carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. People who had occupied the carriages in front were already hurrying up the stone steps into the castle._

Harry didn't notice that people were staring at him until Hermione slid her hand into his and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Just remember you're doing this so they won't stare at Ron, Ginny, and the twins."

"Huh?" Harry asked, distractedly, his eyes following Seamus who was walking several meters ahead with Huffman.

"They're staring at you which means they're not bothering the Weasleys; you _are_ supposed to be dead." Hermione said gently.

"What? Oh yeah, I'll remember that." He said, staring at Huffman's back.

She really was quite insipid he decided as she laughed, leaning closer to Seamus as though to take shelter from the rain, and placing her hand possessively over Seamus's hand. The laugh sounded fake, and she was wearing far too much make-up, especially in this weather, it'd all probably wash off anyway, who did she think she was trying to impress?

"Harry? Harry, are you listening to me?"

"Hmm, sorry." He glanced up at Hermione, who seemed to have been trying to get his attention for some time. "What did you say?"

"I said, Harry, when do you plan on beginning your training with Ginny? You've said you won't give up Quidditch but you need to think about it because, training will take up a lot of time, and they you've got your Animagus training and Pettigrew's trial, we've also got to think about O. too."

"You are kidding?" Harry asked stopping and turning to face her. "We don't have O. 'till next year, there's plenty of time for that later."

"And are you going to do your GCSEs?" Hermione asked.

Harry had been avoiding this question for a long time. Hermione had planned with Severus that she would try and get her Muggle qualifications whilst still at Hogwarts and she'd been desperate for Harry to do it too. Unfortunately, Harry didn't have time to do any extra exams but didn't want to upset her by telling her that he wouldn't.

"You're not going to, are you? You do realize that they could be very useful don't you?" Hermione said as they began walking again, ducking their heads against the rain and walking up the steps to the entrance hall as quickly as they could.

Harry rolled his eyes and wrung out his sodden school hat over Hermione's head as they reached the entrance hall. "_You_ should keep out of my head."

"Stop avoiding my questions then." She said, spluttering and swatting him on the arm as they began to file into the Great Hall.

Harry glanced around, now conscious of the fact that people were watching him. He pushed his sopping hair back, out of his eyes, and took Hermione's hand. He clenched he jaw and took a step forward, it had been his plan to distract everyone from bothering Ron, Ginny, and the twins and despite how much the stares bothered him he that knew they would bother the Weasleys more.

Pulling Hermione close to his side, Harry gripped her hand tightly, holding his head up as the hall fell silent, everyone watching as he filed in and took a seat in the middle of the Gryffindor table.

Whispers broke out across the Great Hall the moment Harry sat down. Trying to ignore everyone watching, Harry emptied his trainers of water and tried his best to dry his robes, using the few drying charms he knew.

He was just looking to the staff table, wondering how long it would be until the sorting would begin when _a highly excited, breathless voice called down the table._

_"Hiya, Harry!"_

_It was Colin Creevey, a third year to whom Harry was something of a hero._

"Hi, Colin." Harry said slowly, thinking that if Colin asked for another autograph there was no way he could be held accountable for his actions. "What's wrong?"

"I-I" Colin faltered at the hostility in Harry's voice. "I just wanted to say I'm glad you're alive."

Somewhat taken aback, Harry said, "Er, thanks, Colin."

The other boy smiled, embarrassedly, and sat back down in his seat.

Once the sorting was over, the feast passed fairly quickly with Dumbledore's speech at the end consisting of most of the usual things, the addition of several new items to Filch's list of banned items and the introduction of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher.

Once Professor Moody had been introduced to the school and the, somewhat half-hearted, applause had died down Professor Dumbledore told them that rather than the usual inter-house Quidditch tournament there would instead be an inter-school Quidditch tournament. Every student in the Great Hall immediately began talking at once, before Dumbledore silenced them with a wave of his hand. Once the announcement had been made, Dumbledore gleefully told them that the first match would take place in November before promptly sending them all off to their dormitories without giving them any more details on the tournament, whilst the other professors frowned at the Headmaster.

Obviously they had realized that they would the ones who would be quizzed during lessons the next day by tired students who had stayed up all night discussing the sparse information the Headmaster had given them.

As they made their way back to the dormitory, Harry tried to focus on what his fellow Gryffindors were talking about, most were speculating about the tournament and talking about _who_ would get onto the school team and how they were to be selected, but a lot were discussing Harry, in good ways and bad. He heard one girl state that 'there's no way Potter won't be on the team', and another ask her friend 'but _why _didn't he die? Dark magic _had_ to have been involved'.

He clenched his fist, anger boiling in his chest, even with the news of the tournament people still just had to gossip about him.

He glanced at Hermione, wondering how she was managing to stay so calm. His anger over Seamus suddenly deciding he needed a girlfriend must have come from her and yet when they passed Huffman making quite a show of saying goodnight to Seamus in the Entrance Hall, she had barely reacted.

Once back in Gryffindor tower, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry's dorm mates crowded around the fire to discuss who they thought would get onto the school Quidditch team and which other schools might be participating.

"I'm off to bed." Harry mumbled to Hermione. "I think I'll get up early and go flying tomorrow, I've not flown since the World Cup and I've had enough of all this staring."

Hermione nodded and pulled him into a tight hug. "You did brilliantly today; don't let it get to you too much. Everyone came back to school believing you were dead, if you weren't the one to have 'died' you'd be wondering what happened just as much as they are, they'll forget about it once tryouts for the school team begin." She let go of him and grinned. "Then when people stare at you it'll because you're the school Seeker and not because you didn't die."

He kissed the top of her head and shook his head in amusement. "I might not even tryout." Harry said as he set off towards the dormitory stairs.

She smiled knowingly. "Yes, and I might not start preparing for the O. this year."

He grinned back at her but as soon as he set off up the stairs the grin slid off his face. Hermione was right, eventually everyone would forget that he'd returned from the dead, but that wasn't now. Right now people were either annoyed that he'd led them to believe he was dead or speculating that he'd used dark magic in order to survive his duel with Voldemort. He'd even heard one Hufflepuff boy suggest that the whole death and resurrection thing had been a plan concocted by Harry and Voldemort together, in order to make people believe that Harry was on the good side when actually he was fighting for Voldemort.

As he entered the dormitory he aimed a kick at his trunk, realizing belatedly that it would do more damage to his foot than the trunk. As he'd expected the trunk didn't even move, instead remaining obstinately in the spot where the house elves had placed it earlier. His foot, however rebounded uselessly off the trunk, his toes hurting from where they'd hit the corner.

He let out a hiss of pain and slid to the floor, hitting the trunk with the side of his fist as though this would make up for the pain in his foot.

He wasn't particularly sure why he was angry, sure people were suggesting he was in league with Voldemort and they wouldn't stop gossiping about him, but if he was being honest with himself, it wasn't particularly unexpected. He'd lived with people staring at him since he'd first come to Hogwarts, it was just this time it was getting to him more than ever.

Too angry to do much else Harry decided he might as well go to bed. Everything would be better tomorrow when he could go out onto the Quidditch pitch. Once in the air he'd be able to let everything go and just focus on enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and the peacefulness that came from being completely alone, soaring above the school and grounds. He half hoped it would still be raining; a good thunder storm was his favourite thing when he felt like this, he'd have climbed out of the window right then and onto the tower roof if he hadn't had the promise of flying in the morning to make him want to go to bed as soon as possible.

As a compromise, Harry opened the dormitory windows as wide as he could as he showered and changed the dressings on the wound where Voldemort had hit him with the Killing Curse. The wound had scabbed over and the only reason Harry kept dressing on it now was because the scab was quite prone to catching on his clothes and ripping off.

He clambered into bed and drew the curtains. S_omeone - a house-elf, no doubt - had placed warming pans between the sheets. It was extremely comfortable, lying there in bed and listening to the storm raging outside._ He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the storm, counting the length of time between each clap of thunder and each flash of lightening.

It was much later, long after Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean had come up to the dormitory and gone to sleep that Harry finally came to the realization that the anger and jealousy, he'd been feeling over the _thing_ Seamus had going on with Huffman, had not come from Hermione. She'd been asleep for several hours now and yet his anger and frustration were just as intense as they had been before. Since Harry could feel from the bond that she was asleep and definitely not dreaming, the fact was that what he had felt earlier, and was still feeling now, was because of him and had nothing to do with Hermione.

He didn't get much sleep that night. He told himself that Seamus being with Huffman bothered him because, like Dean had said, he shouldn't put some random girl ahead of his friend. That was definitely slightly true, but there was a small part of his mind telling him that that wasn't _it_.

He was reminded of that weird, heart-stopping moment when he'd first seen Seamus playing the fiddle at the World Cup and slammed his head, hard against his pillow. He wasn't going to think about that now, because right now he _would_ sleep and then he _would_ go flying in the morning and _that_ was all he would think about.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Harry had resolved to not think about Seamus, he'd had an inkling about what he'd felt about Seamus' relationship with Huffman meant and he didn't want to let the inkling form into a proper thought because then there would be no stopping it.

His resolve was broken less than half an hour after it had been formed.

Harry knew that Seamus had been having nightmares since their second year, everyone in the dorm did, but they'd gotten so much worse since Voldemort had returned at the World Cup. Even with everything else he had to worry about, Harry had spent a lot of time, maybe more than was sensible, looking into how to stop the nightmares; but so far he'd only found one solution and that solution wasn't one that was readily available, it would take a lot time, money and help to sort out.

So until he found a proper solution, he'd already asked Sirius for help following up on the only good one he'd found, Harry could only hope they didn't get any worse.

From the next bed, Seamus let out a whimper followed by a shout of fear.

They all knew that Seamus found the nightmares mortifying and often Harry and his dorm mates pretended they didn't know about them; Seamus seemed to believe that the nightmares made him appear weak.

Harry climbed out of bed, crossed the room and hesitated as he reached to pull open the hangings around Seamus' bed, deciding at last that it was better for him to wake Seamus now than to wait until his shouts woke the other boys.

"Seamus, c'mon, mate. You're having another nightmare." Harry closed the hangings behind him as he sat on the edge of Seamus's bed, putting a hand gently on the other boy's shoulder.

Seamus rolled over, his arm flailing in Harry's direction as though to hit him; Harry shifted out of the way and nudged Seamus's shoulder. "Come on, Shay, wake up. It's just a nightmare. I'm here, mate. I've got you, I'm here." Harry whispered soothingly, not wanting to wake up the other boys.

Seamus stilled, and slowly cracked an eye open. "H-Harry?"

"I'm here." Harry told him again, pretending not to notice as Seamus turned his face away to hide his tears. "Was it the Riddles again?" He asked; over the past week, before they'd come back to school, Seamus had dreamt about Voldemort's murder of his Muggle family several times.

Seamus's eyes flicked to Harry's face focusing on his eyes before he glanced up to his scar. "It was your parents." He said exhaling loudly; Harry felt his heart stop for several seconds as they stared at each other in silence. Harry knew that Seamus had seen his parents die through the diary, but they'd not really talked about it, Seamus liked to pretend that none of it had ever happened.

Harry licked his lips and said slowly, his voice hoarse, "Th-the night they died?"

"You look so much like your dad." Seamus whispered, rolling onto his side. "I thought I was dreaming about you when the dream started and then you _were_ your dad and we were in the clearing at the World Cup and it all happened again and you- you..." Seamus let out a huff of frustration and curled his knees against his chest.

"I'm here; I survived," Harry said faintly. "It was just a dream."

"It wasn't 'just' a bloody dream, Harry. They're not 'just' anything, they're Voldemort's memories, they happened. Every night when I go to sleep I have to experience Voldemort murdering innocent people. It's not a dream, it happened. The people I see were really killed, they're dead, and in my dreams I'm the one doing it, the one _enjoying _it." He curled into a tighter ball, and pressed his face against his pillow so that Harry had to strain his ears to hear what he was saying. "I fucking hate this, why does it have to be me? After everything, the potions and mind healers, I'm not any better; everyone still looks at me with pity, like I'm so weak and afraid; I'm too bloody scared to sleep at night."

Harry put a hand on Seamus's shoulder, trying to find the right words to tell him that that wasn't how everyone saw him. "We know the dreams are terrible. No one thinks you're weak, I care about you and so do Dean, and Ron, and Neville, and Hermione." Harry didn't bother adding Huffman to the list; she hardly cared about Seamus as much as they did. "I'd do anything to stop you having those dreams."

Seamus balled his fist as he took a long shaky breath and said bitterly, "But you can't. There's _nothing_ anyone can do. I'm bloody well stuck like this. It doesn't matter how much you _want _to help me; I'll always be the one who's afraid of going to bed at night, the one who's been to see more mind healers than he can count and is terrified half to death of most of the Death Eaters. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in almost two years and I'm tired, I'm so fucking tired Harry." Holding his pillow tightly, Seamus said in a voice so quiet Harry had to lean forward to hear what he was saying. "Sometimes I wish the venom from the Basilisk's fang had killed me, I don't want to live the rest of my life like this, I _can't,_ it's too much."

Harry leant against the post at the end of Seamus's bed ran a hand through his hair, watching him for several long minutes. He knew now why he'd been angry and jealous over Seamus getting a girlfriend. When a friend tells you they'd rather be dead than have nightmares it's hard to hear, when someone you love tells you the same it hurts in an almost physical way.

Harry reflexively went to push his glasses up his nose, not realising until he prodded himself in the face that he wasn't wearing them. He'd seen Seamus in pain, he'd seen him sad, and he'd seen him angry, but he'd never seen him like this. He'd never even wanted to imagine Seamus so tired and broken.

Harry took Seamus's hand and squeezed tightly. "I'm here for you." He said firmly, trying to keep the distress from his voice. "As long as you need me I'll _always_ be here for you, no matter how bad the nightmares get. You're one of the most important people in my life and you can't keep doing this, not when keeping everything to yourself hurts you so much, you can tell me anything."

Seamus laughed hollowly. "That's easier said than done. There're some things I can't tell anyone, things that the people I care about just don't need to hear. The things he's done, Harry, there's a reason people are afraid of him, he's a monster. He takes pleasure in torturing people; more than that, he relishes it and when I have those dreams I do to. It's not just the cruciatus curse either, there are things he's done you'd never think of doing to a person, never even imagine that he'd do but he has and I've seen it, just describing it would be enough to give you nightmares." He shuddered, his knuckles turning white as his hands tightened on his pillow.

"I don't care. If there's anything you want to talk about, you can tell me, even if you think it will hurt me. If I have to have nightmares too it'll be worth it if it makes you feel better. I'd do anything, give anything for you to feel better you- you're my best friend"

Seamus didn't say anything; he just looked at Harry in a way that suggested he didn't quite believe him.

"It doesn't matter now, anyway. Go to sleep, I'll stay here and keep an eye on you." Harry gave Seamus's hand a final squeeze before letting go and resting his head against the post at the end of the bed.

"You need sleep too."

"Not as much as you do. Go to sleep, I promise I won't leave until the morning."

It seemed Seamus was more tired than Harry thought; he didn't even manage to voice his next protests as his head began to droop on his pillow and he fell asleep.

It was fairly obvious, now that Harry thought about it, that he was in love with Seamus. He winced at that thought, it sounded bloody ridiculous really, to even consider that he was in love, he was fourteen for Merlin's sake; it seemed too young to even claim to be in love.

But he couldn't really think of any other word that could describe how he felt. Thinking back on the past year Harry wondered how he hadn't realized sooner.

He'd offered Voldemort his life in exchange for Seamus's, which in itself should have been enough to tip him off. With the amount of time Harry spent worrying about his family, for him to give them up so that Seamus could live was huge and so very selfish but, in the same position, he'd probably do it all over again.

Seamus had been the last person he thought about before dying, he hadn't even thought about his parents, just Seamus.

And when he'd been tortured in the cemetery, again he'd thought about Seamus. If anyone had asked he wouldn't have been able to recall his name, or his parents', but he had remembered a song Seamus had played on his fiddle.

He shook his head in disgust at himself. It wasn't the fact that he'd suddenly decided that he liked blokes, that was strangely easy to accept, the problem was he'd told himself that there were two things he wouldn't do that night. The first was that he wasn't to think about Seamus, and now he was sat in his bed, watching him sleep. The second was that he wouldn't allow his inkling to form into a thought. Unfortunately that inkling had not only formed into a thought; it had begun to run amok in his head, turning over every memory of the past few years and looking for signs that Harry's _affection_ for Seamus ran deeper than he had initially believed, there really was no stopping the bloody thing now.

_OOOOO_

"You can't honestly be suggesting that we start our duelling practice in here." Ginny said, looking around doubtfully as they stepped through the entrance into the kitchens. "It's been weeks since term started, you've fobbed me off with every excuse that popped into your head about why we can't start and now, when you finally agreed to teach me to fight, you've brought me here."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, sorry about that. I spent most of last week flying and meditating, you know to find out my Animagus animal. We're not actually going to do any duelling now either. It's Hermione's birthday tomorrow so I thought you could help me make a cake?" He winced, anticipating that she would be annoyed at him.

"We're making cake?" Ginny asked, narrowing her eyes. "You can't be serious."

"It's not just about the cake. There's a lot of stuff I've got to get done lately so I thought that I could put the being an Auror thing with making Hermione's cake. You can fly with me too, if you want, Perce did. We thought it'd make sense to be in as good a shape as possible so that we'd at least have some kind of advantage over the Death Eaters. I don't think they really value being physically fit, it's kind of Muggle, really, isn't it? I couldn't imagine a git like Malfoy doing any real exercise." Harry said as he led Ginny to a stove the House Elves had cleared for them.

"So because physical fitness is so important, we're going to make a _cake_?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry laughed. "I think we need to get to know each other. If we ever get into a real duel together like- like with Percy, I want us to be able to know exactly how the other will react to it. Me and Perce didn't know each other well enough, it's not enough to just be friends, we have to be able to anticipate each other's actions. Maybe if I'd known him better Crouch wouldn't have killed him, we might have been able to put up a fight or I could have done something." Harry told her as he began pulling out bowls and pans from under one of the work surfaces Ginny opened her mouth as though to argue but Harry continued, not letting her. "You're kind of like me and I don't think there's really any chance of your parents keeping you from fighting, but I'm not going to let what happened to Perce happen again. We have to be ready and that'll take a lot of work."

Ginny nodded and took the wooden spoon Harry had offered her. "I'll do everything I have to. I'm not going to just walk away when things get difficult, teach me to become an Animagus too; I want every advantage I can get."

"I can't teach you the Animagus thing, all I really know at the moment is the inner animal bit which is all just meditation anyway and Sirius probably won't let you learn without your parents' permission, he made me ask _Severus_ and everyone knows how much he hates him. I think that it might actually be as dangerous as everyone is making it out to be." Harry told her apologetically as he rummaged in his bag for the cookery book he brought.

"Fine, but you have to teach me as soon as I come of age." She said, pursing her lips, apparently already accepting that her mother wouldn't let her learn to become an animagus. "But I want to know everything else, all of it. Perce said you learnt about healing too, I'll run laps of the Quidditch Pitch and only eat vegetables if I have to; I want to be able to _kill _Crouch... what cake are we making?" She asked, changing topics as she leant over to look at the book.

"Chocolate, it's the decorating that's the hard bit. It needs to be as ostentatiously ugly as possible, you know layers, and bright clashing colours and maybe pink butterfly wings or something. And I could barely last ten seconds in a duel with Crouch; at the moment we're way out of our depths."

"So let me get this straight, you want to make her a cake that she'll hate?" Ginny asked.

"I've done it every year since were eight, although the first one was only ugly by accident. She's too polite to actually say she thinks it's horrible, she pulls this face, like she's appalled but also really pleased that you've made the effort. We usually do it at home, just before coming back to school, my Uncle David loves ugly cakes, but obviously we didn't have a chance. The elves don't mind though, they let me use an oven a while back too."

"Right, so what do you want me to do?" Ginny asked, rolling up the sleeves of her robes and reading over the page Harry had opened the recipe book to.

As they set to work making their cake Harry asked Ginny questions about her childhood and began, in turn telling her all about his life with the Dursleys, only really leaving out the part about his and Hermione's bond.

The cake was cooked and Harry was rolling out icing to decorate the upper tier when Ginny suggested that they tell one another their secrets.

"What, like giggling girls at a sleepover?" Harry snorted at the thought, finding the entire idea of sharing their innermost secrets slightly ridiculous, especially since Ginny had suggested it to help them learn to kill Death Eaters.

Ginny hit him with a rolling pin, apparently annoyed at his derision. "I'm being serious; you said we have to know each other, that we have to be able to anticipate each other's actions."

Harry looked down at his icing. He _did_ agree with Ginny, if they were supposed to trust each other and know each other so well, they shouldn't have secrets, but he couldn't tell her about the bond. If the wrong person found out about that it could cost Harry or Hermione their lives. He trusted Ginny to keep his secret but not under torture, or the Imperious Curse, he couldn't risk it.

"If you're going to tell me about how you fancy Neville, it's not a secret." Harry said lightly, trying to distract Ginny's attention as he tried to work out what to tell her.

Ginny froze. "What?"

"Well after he saved you from the Chamber it became kind of obvious, really." Harry said slowly. "I mean, me and Hermione noticed it."

Ginny's eyes flickered around the kitchen, looking as though she didn't know whether to deny it or not. "_He_ doesn't know does he?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, realizing that Ginny didn't find Harry teasing her about her crush as amusing he'd thought she would. "No, he doesn't. I don't think Neville would ever think anyone fancied him, you could be all over him like Hoffman is with Seamus and he'd have no idea." He paused and watched the relief wash over her face. "Was that the secret you were going to tell me?"

"No, there's something else." She tapped her foot and turned her attention back to the cake, not looking at Harry as she spoke. "You need to know really, before we begin. You might hate me for it and decide to call the whole thing off; I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"It can't be that bad." Harry said coaxingly, unable to think of any secret that would be bad enough for him to hate her. It seemed to be that all of the Weasleys were good people so it wasn't as though she'd be admitting to being a Death Eater. "I'll tell you mine first." Sighing, he set down his rolling pin and turned to Ginny. The Weasleys weren't pureblood fanatics but, out of any secret he might have, his feelings for Seamus would be the one most likely to jeopardize his friendship with them.

Delicately Ginny set her rolling pin on the worktop and wiped her hands clean on a dishcloth. She arched an eyebrow and nodded encouragingly. "Go on then."

Harry paused, uncertain of how to start. He hadn't expected her to just let him tell his secret, normally with things like this there would have been one of those pretend courteous arguments, with both insisting they should tell theirs first before one eventually conceding that the other could go first.

"Uh... well." He licked his lips and laughed as a thought struck him. "You know I was annoyed at a friend for not telling me the same... I said he should take a risk and now I'm here, being a hypocrite and not telling anyone."

"Okay?" Ginny said slowly, looking as though she wasn't sure about how to react to Harry's ramblings. "We could do secrets another time if you feel uncomfortable about it. But you did say we need to get to know each other." She added in a sharp tone, reminiscent of her mother's.

"Yeah," He said his voice becoming quieter. It had been easy enough to come to the conclusion himself, in his head, but saying it out loud, that was completely different. He screwed up his face and ran his left hand through his hair, leaving a white stripe of icing sugar across his head. "I fancy blokes, like, y'know, I'm _gay_. I think I might fancy- well no, maybe, I think... I think I could be in love with Seamus." He whispered hurriedly, his words coming out in a rush as he slowly opened his eyes to peer at Ginny

Ginny stared at him, wide eyed, for several seconds. "Oh, _Merlin._"

Harry took a weary step backwards. "What?"

"I just... I can't believe I didn't see it. _How_ could you have known how I feel about Neville? I'm not nearly as obvious with it as you are with Seamus; you're _obsessed_ with him. I thought you were just really close, but you're always watching him, like _all the time_ and you always talk about him... Merlin Harry, you _died _for him!"

"So you _don't _hate me, then?" Harry asked, watching her carefully.

"Why would I hate you?" She asked.

"I thought it was one of those really common prejudices." Harry told her with a shrug, "I was told it's worse than blood prejudice."

"Well, yeah," She conceded. "If the wizards in your family are all massive bigots. So is it _just_ Seamus you're attracted to?"

"Seamus is the only bloke I really like, but I suppose I find others attractive."

"Like who?" Ginny asked eagerly, sitting down and watching him intently.

Harry smiled and took a seat next to her, grateful that she seemed less bothered secret than by the fact she hadn't worked it out herself. "What's with all the questions?"

"I've never talked to someone who is gay before- well maybe I have but you wouldn't know since no one in the wizarding world would admit to it." Ginny said.

Harry laughed admiringly, deciding that the Weasley family was probably the best family in the entire wizarding world. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Well I do think, uh, Cedric is attractive. But I don't fancy him or anything." He said, hoping she'd be happy with his answer.

"Ooh, really?" Ginny asked. "Who else do you find attractive?"

Harry smiled, too amused by her eagerness to be annoyed at her quizzing him. "I don't know, Bill maybe, he was quite good looking?"

"Who?"

"Your brother."

"What? Ugh Harry, you can't be serious, Bill?"

"_You_ asked _me_, and I don't fancy him or anything, I just think he's good looking." Harry told her indignantly. "Anyway, what's your big secret? I told you mine."

"Seamus is still having nightmares, isn't he?" She asked, suddenly serious.

"I'm working on it. Are you having the same problem?" He asked, examining her face for signs of tiredness. He knew how much the nightmares bothered Seamus and wondered whether, having spent so much time with the diary, she was more damaged by it.

"Yes, well not the same exactly." She said, tapping her fingers on the table and not quite meeting his eyes. "Tom attacked us in different ways. I think with Seamus he wanted to break his mind, with me it was manipulation. He befriended me so that he could use me against you, that's the problem really."

"So you _don't_ get nightmares?" Harry asked. From what he'd seen with Seamus, the diary had messed with his head. He couldn't talk about half of what he'd seen and just being around Severus made him uncomfortable, the nightmares weren't the only damage caused by the chamber, they were just the most obvious.

"Not as often as Seamus, he gets them almost every night doesn't he?" She chewed he lip and looked up at Harry, her eyes shining as though she was about to start crying. "It's what Tom does isn't it; he gets into people's minds? After all this time, even now, when I know who he really is; I still think of him as my friend."

"Who, Voldemort?" Harry asked, uncertain about how he was supposed to react to what she was telling him.

"I was eleven when I got the diary. My brother's were always teasing me; I don't think they really knew how they were supposed to treat me. It's easy when it's all boys together but when they have to spend time with a little girl I don't think they really knew what to do. Bill was alright, but he was in Egypt and I think Tom knew that I felt left out." She picked up a sheet of baking parchment and began shredding it, focusing on that rather than on Harry. "He was my first real friend; I'd only ever really spent time with by brothers before then. He gave me good advice, listened to my problems; he was everything I thought I wanted in a friend."

"I think that's what he does; he makes you _want _to follow him. Says the right thing to get you to trust him and then shows his true colours, and then you're in too deep and you can't get away from him." Harry said, thinking of Pettigrew and the Malfoys, there was no way any of them would have become a Death Eater if they'd known from the start how Voldemort would treat them. "Dumbledore said the same, Voldemort was attractive and charismatic, people were drawn to him."

Ginny smiled appreciatively at Harry's attempt to understand. "But I miss him, Harry. When something bad happens in class or I've just have a rough day, all I really want to do is go back to my room and tell Tom about it. He said he wanted to protect me. And then, when _he_ appeared at the World Cup all I could think was that he wasn't _my _Tom." She laughed bitterly. "Because I still think of _Voldemort_ as the boy I met in the diary. I'm such a bloody idiot, even now, I know he manipulated me but I can't see past the lies, he's still my friend."

"You _were _just eleven." Harry pointed out.

"That's no excuse, when you were eleven you faced him and defeated him. He didn't manage to manipulate you into killing _your _brother's girlfriend."

"Well, to begin with _you _didn't kill Penelope, the basilisk did, under Voldemort's command. And when I met Voldemort in my first year he tried to murder Hermione, in front of me, which made any further manipulations a little bit tricky. You being eleven is a fair excuse, he was a- well I don't know how old he is, but he's not young and he manipulates people, he's done it to older and more experienced wizards than you. Also you were actually possessed, he didn't _just _manipulate you; you had _no_ control over what you were doing." Harry told her, appalled that she'd even think she was responsible for Penelope's death. "Anyway we're still doing secrets, it's my turn. Uh, I'm afraid of cows."

Ginny smiled appreciatively at Harry's change of topic, looking somewhat confused by Harry's secret. "Cows? You're the Boy-Who-Lived and you're afraid of cows?"

"How does being the Boy-Who-Lived make me immune to a fear of cows? It's not like a boggart would turn into a cow or anything, but they are really dangerous, they can trample you to death- there're tonnes of stories about it in Muggle newspapers, I don't like horses all that much either. Hippogriffs aren't so bad, but they're clever enough to not trample you to death for no reason and they have wings- you can't be afraid of animals that have wings."

"Yeah, but cows, Harry? And have you _seen _a dragon? There're plenty of reasons to be afraid of animals with wings."

"Yep, cows. And when I finally find my animal form I want wings, I bet dragons aren't so bad, just ask your brother, anyway your turn." Harry said as he stood up, indicating that he and Ginny should go back to icing the cake.

"I think his burns might tell a different story. My turn? Hmm, okay, this isn't great but it still makes me laugh, when I was seven I woke up early one morning and kicked a mirror because I thought my reflection was someone was trying to attack me; Ron got the blame, and Fred still teases him about his reflection coming to get him."

Harry laughed. "I still pretend to be Father Christmas when I have bubble baths, you know with the bubble beard."

Ginny blushed and said quietly. "I _used to_ pretend to be a bubble bath Dumbledore; I did the hair and everything. When I was little though." She added the last part hurriedly, shooting an accusatory look towards a house elf as though he was about to go tell Dumbledore everything she'd said.

"When we were eight, Hermione convinced me that these Muggle sweets called Smarties actually made you cleverer. I don't think Hermione knows, but I still eat a tube of them before exams."

"And do they make you smarter?" Ginny asked.

"Nah, they're just regular Muggle chocolate, but it's a habit now I'd feel weird doing an exam without eating them."

"I've always been terrified that I'll be alone forever and never have any real friends." Ginny said in a rush, looking away from Harry.

Harry paused in his icing and glanced up at Ginny. "What?"

"I'd never had any friends before starting Hogwarts and my first year's kind of ruined it for me now. Who's going to want to be friends with a girl who, for an entire year, considered Voldemort to be her closest friend? And I can forget about ever having a boyfriend, no one wants a girlfriend as messed up as me."

"You've got me, and Hermione and Neville and Dean and Seamus." Harry pointed out.

"You're all my brother's friends, I'm not sure it counts when your only friends are actually your older brother's." She said with a sigh.

"I think it does, we're friends with you for you, not because you're Ron's little sister. And what about your dorm mates?" Harry asked.

"How can you really be friends with someone if they don't know anything about you? They're nice enough but I can't tell them about Tom, or the Chamber, they wouldn't understand."

Harry nodded, he understood what she meant. According to almost everyone, when you have a soul bond it's almost impossible to maintain a non-romantic relationship with your bond mate.

The idea of them being in a romantic relationship had never been a concern for Harry and Hermione, they were more like siblings; their concern had been about forming romantic relationships with other people. Even if they disregarded the sharing of emotions part of the bond, they'd both agreed that if they were to ever be in serious relationships they would have to tell their partners about the bond. This was an issue as Harry or Hermione would need to have been in a relationship long enough to be able to trust their partners with the secret, but by that stage in a relationship it would be unlikely that it would be able to withstand such a revelation.

"Bugger it." Harry said, setting down his rolling pin again and turning to Ginny. "Me and Hermione have a soul bond."

_OOOOO_

Several hours later, Harry clambered through the portrait hole and collapsed onto a sofa next to Hermione. Flicking off his shoes and bringing his knees up to his chest in one fast movement. He closed his eyes, rested his head on Hermione's shoulder and sighed.

"I've done something terrible." Harry said already wincing at the thought. "I told Ginny about the bond." He'd already told himself that he couldn't tell her, it'd put them in too much danger, but what she'd said had got to him and he'd just wanted to let her know that she wasn't the only one feeling that way.

Through the bond he felt Hermione tense as she tried to make sense of what Harry had said. "Could you say that again? I think I might have misheard you, because I know you're not _that _stupid."

Harry opened an eye. "You heard me."

"_Why_ exactly would you tell Ginny about the bond?" Hermione hissed, making sure to keep her voice low.

"It's a long story." He said tiredly, the cake had taken a lot longer than Harry had expected to make, and after that Ginny had insisted that he go over the Shield Charm with her; he didn't want to get into an argument now.

"I have time."

"Ugh, fine," He sat up and leant against the opposite arm of the chair. "We were sharing our secrets, we decided that we needed to get to know each other if we're going to duel together, I can't have what happened with Perce happen again. Ginny started talking about Voldemort, and how she didn't think she'd ever make any real friends because she cared so much about him when he was talking to her in the diary, and she couldn't tell anyone else about it. It got me thinking about the bond."

"So you've kept Ginny's secret, what, five minutes?" She ran a hand through her hair, in a gesture that had seeped through the bond from Harry and narrowed her eyes crossing her arms to keep herself from imitating any more of Harry's actions, once she'd even tried to push her nonexistent glasses up back her nose. "For a Secret-Keeper you're not that good at keeping secrets."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ginny said she understands if I talk to you about it, she was actually pretty understanding about the whole thing. She did quiz me about it for at least an hour."

"You did stress how important it is that she doesn't tell anyone, didn't you?" Hermione asked, still narrowing her eyes at him.

"She's not going to tell anyone... I told her my other secret too." Harry said after a pause.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And which secret might that be?"

"How I feel about Seamus." Harry said flatly.

"So we're talking about that now?" She asked with a small smile.

"I knew you knew!" Harry said triumphantly. "How did you know? Why didn't you say something?"

"Even without the bond I think you're passive aggressive reaction towards Seamus and Abigail's relationship is evidence enough and I was hardly going to start talking about something as important as that before I knew you were ready to." Hermione told him, putting an arm around Harry's shoulder and leaning closer to him. "I'm pleased that you told me though."

"Speaking of, where are Seamus and Yoko?"

Hermione sighed in annoyance. "You _have_ to stop calling her that."

"Dean does it too." Harry said defensively.

"I've told him not to too. It's not nice, Harry."

"She doesn't even know what we mean. She's pureblood; she doesn't even know who the Beatles are." Harry protested.

"I just think you both should stop making the fact that you don't like her so obvious. If you care so much about Seamus you should support him, you wouldn't do the same if anyone else got a girlfriend." She pointed out sternly, in an attempt to make him feel bad.

"I would if I didn't like their girlfriend, Dean doesn't like her either, and Neville and Ron agree that he shouldn't be with her, they're just too polite to say anything... Ron rolls his eyes every time he sees her."

"Yes, Harry, Dean, Neville, and Ron might not like her, but I don't think you'd be happy with Seamus going out with anyone." She told him with a sigh. "Just try to be nicer to her, Harry."

"Yeah whatever," Harry said, both of them knowing that nothing Hermione could say would make him like her. "Have you seen them, I want to show him your birthday cake."

A pained expression crossed Hermione's face. "What's it like this year, then?"

Harry grinned gleefully, already anticipating Hermione's response upon seeing it. "It's fantastic; I really think I've outdone myself. I've already sent Hedwig home with a picture of it; your dad will love it, it's so ugly."

She sighed in mock resignation and rested her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes I worry about your sanity."

Harry ran a hand through Hermione's hair. "Aw, I love you too, Hermione... That's why I had to tell Ginny you know? She needs to know that there's someone in a similar position to her, we can't let anyone really know us, just like she can't. We're kind of the same, only she doesn't have someone there like we do."

"Despite it all, the secrets and the lack of trust, I wouldn't change it for anything. At least I know I'll never be lonely, that's something most people can't say."

Leaning over to kiss Hermione's temple, Harry didn't notice as Seamus appeared through the portrait hole. He looked around the common room searchingly and, catching sight of Harry and Hermione, glowered in their direction before tuning on his heels and disappearing back through the entrance.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

The trials for Sirius and Pettigrew were set for a Saturday, mid-September. Due to the fact that the Quidditch Tournament was to be held at Hogwarts, and that there was no way for Harry to stay 'dead' with all the reporters that would be at the school, Dumbledore had decided to allow Harry and Hermione to attend the trials.

On the morning of the trial, Harry was awoken early by Hermione who appeared at the foot as his bed, already fully dressed.

"Merlin, it's freezing." Harry whispered as he crawled to the edge of his bed and pulled his slippers on.

"Just go get your shower; we've got an hour before we need to be in Professor Dumbledore's office." Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded and headed to the bathroom, switching on the light in the bathroom and shutting the door quickly before it could wake up his dorm-mates.

He'd just finished washing his hair when the door opened again and Hermione entered, her anxiety over the trial already seeping through the bond to Harry.

"I've got your dress robes here." She said, from the other side of the shower curtain.

Harry grabbed the towel next to the shower and wrapped it around his middle before climbing out and sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. "Get on with it then."

Hermione already had a hairbrush in her hand as she began yanking it through his hair with one hand and slowly drying it with her wand in the other. When they'd been told they would be allowed to go to the trial, Hermione had decided that they should remind everyone at the ministry, _who _Harry was. This involved several minutes of torture for Harry as Hermione attempted to style his hair so that it would remain in its usual messy style whilst also controllable enough for her to push it back to show off his lightning bolt scar. She'd also done something to his glasses to enhance the colour of his eyes, hoping to remind everyone who saw him that he was the son of Lily and James Potter by making him a caricature of what everyone thought he should look like.

Once Hermione had finished attempting to pull Harry's hair from his scalp, she changed the colour of his dress robes to purple, which according to her 'complimented his eyes'.

When she was finally satisfied with how Harry looked, they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. With it being so early in the morning, the Great Hall was empty with just two places set at the end of the Gryffindor table for Harry and Hermione.

Harry filled his and Hermione's cups from the tea pot on the table as Hermione ladled porridge into their bowls, refusing to put sugar on Harry's because it's 'bad for your teeth'. As they began eating their breakfast, they were joined at the table by Remus, Bill Weasley, and a blonde woman Harry didn't recognize.

"Morning, Harry, Hermione." Remus greeted, sitting opposite them and helping himself to a cup of tea. "You've met Bill I think," He gestured to Bill, who was sitting on his right, before nodding to the woman on his left. "And this is Auror Tonks; Tonks, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

The Auror snorted. "No one refers to Aurors by their titles, Remus, not even Mr. Crouch and he had a broomstick shove so far up his ar-"

"I think we get the picture, Tonks... Perhaps we should refrain from talking ill of the dead?" Remus said pointedly.

"I think I'd be more willing to follow your suggestion, if you weren't on the way to your best friend's trial. You know, Remus, the friend who was condemned to twelve years in Azkaban, for a crime he _didn't commit_, because Crouch wouldn't give him a trial." Tonks said hotly, her hair darkening from blonde to dark brown as she frowned at Remus.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you." Harry said, trying to take in every detail of the witch's face. Sirius had told him and Hermione about his cousin's Auror daughter and Harry was interested to meet Sirius's family, or at least he was interested in meeting the non-homicidal branch of Sirius's family.

"Uh, Ms. Tonks, if you don't mind me asking, you're not a metamorphmagus are you?" Hermione asked, and Harry could feel her mentally questioning why Sirius hadn't told them this about her.

"Just call me Tonks." Tonks said, looking startled at Hermione addressing her as 'Ms'.

"Or Nym-" Bill was cut off by Tonks firing a stinging hex at him, over Remus's head.

"Don't call me Nymphadora, _William_."

"It doesn't bother you, does it Nymp- agh!" Bill began but was again cut by Tonks hitting him with another stinging hex.

She glowered at Bill, before turning to Hermione with a bright smile and saying. "Yeah, I am a metamorphmagus. I reckon it's probably the only reason I got accepted in the Auror programme; I'm really clumsy, so I was awful at stealth and tracking, luckily I'm by far the best in the department at concealment and disguise."

Harry sat forward in his seat, instantly interested in Tonks and intent on quizzing her on every detail of being a metamorphmagus. "I've read that the principle is a lot like with animagi only, obviously, it's not learnt. Do you have a specific method for clearing your mind for the transformation? I've been struggling with my meditation, you know to find my inner animal, do you have any tips?"

Tonks looked somewhat startled by the way in which Harry casually stated he was in the process of becoming an animagus but, to her credit, brushed it off fairly quickly and answered his question. "You'll have to do the meditation alone I'm afraid, I've never had to find a form for my transformations so I've got no idea what you're supposed to do for that. I don't think I'd bother changing my appearance if I had to meditate; that's far too much hassle and I've never been good at that kind of thing... you know, sitting quietly. But when you do find your form send me an owl, I can give you a few pointers on the actual transformation."

"You wouldn't mind doing a demonstration, would you?" Harry asked. "I've always wondered what it looks like when metamorphmagi transform, the books aren't clear about that. It compares animagi and metamorphmagi on almost everything except how it looks when you transform."

Tonks nodded her head, and scrunched up her face, but before she could change her appearance Remus put a hand on her shoulder and said, "We don't have time for this now; you can show him before you and Bill leave."

"What? They're not coming to the trail?" Harry asked pouring himself another cup of tea.

"Professor Dumbledore has decided that we should, at least, attempt to make Voldemort question whether or not he really did kill you." Remus explained as though, with Harry going to the ministry this would be a perfectly reasonable plan to make.

"Right, and how's he going to do that, with me going to the trial as a witness and everything?" Harry asked.

"We're hoping to begin a rumour that you did in fact die at the World Cup and the Harry Potter that has been at Hogwarts this year, is in fact a series of Aurors and Order members using the Polyjuice potion." Bill told him, sitting forward on his seat and pulling a flask from inside his robes.

"So I'm _not_ going to the trial?" Harry asked, eying the flasks uncertainly as Bill handed it to Harry.

"No _you _are; Bill and Tonks aren't." Remus began, taking the flask from Harry and filling it with pumpkin juice from the jug on the table. "You need to remember to take a sip of this every hour and don't answer any answers that Hermione couldn't answer for you. Give them just enough reason to doubt that you are who you say you are."

"But Hermione could probably answer questions about me better than I could." Harry said, thinking of how Hermione had known how he felt about Seamus before he had.

"Just give brief answers, nothing too personal. Act how you think people think you would act." Remus tried to explain. "We only need the rumour to get to the Death Eaters, Severus isn't supposed to know you well so if he's questioned on the matter he can feign ignorance or claim you're maybe acting a little different. Right now Voldemort is weakened but none of us believe that it is permanent so we need to grab every chance that we can to gain the upper hand."

"Right, so whilst I'm pretending to take Polyjuice potion and acting like I'm an adult, acting like how they imagine I would act, what are Tonks and Bill doing?"

"We'll be in Hogsmeade." Bill said. "I've not had much of a chance to spend time with Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George since... The World Cup, it'll be nice to see them. Everyone knows how close you were to Perce, you're practically family and if you're aunt wasn't so nice I think mum would've adopted you herself, so it's believable enough that you'd be spending the day with us too."

Harry couldn't help but smile at what Bill said about how the Weasleys felt about him. "But I won't be."

"No, I will be." Tonks said, scrunching up her face, her hair darkening and growing back into her head as her face lengthened and eyes changed shape.

"Bloody hell." Harry whispered in awe as he blinked at himself across the table. "That's frightening- what if you need to use the bathroom; you won't see, you know..." Harry's eyes widened, immediately mortified by the idea of it.

"Don't worry; I haven't even changed my gender... I don't feel comfortable when I become male, y'know?"

Harry didn't know and was a bit disconcerted by the idea of just being able to change your gender by screwing up your face, but he nodded anyway, worried that, if he said anything else she'd hex him like she had Bill.

"So why are we going to the trial?" Hermione asked, looking in confusion from Tonks to Remus. "Couldn't Tonks go and save the Weasleys from having to leave the school? And why bother with it all in the first place, people _could _guess that both Harry's are imposters but they could just as easily guess that one is real and one isn't."

"You and Harry have to go to the trial, because there is a chance that since this is such a high profile case, the Wizengamot may agree that a truth potion can be used. With the protocols that would have to be followed there is a very slim chance of this happening, but nevertheless there is a chance and we can't risk it happening. As for why Tonks is pretending to be Harry, almost everyone knows about today's trial and that Harry is giving evidence, so by people seeing a fake Harry in Hogsmeade, they are alerted to the fact that the person they think is Harry Potter may not actually be Harry Potter. I think there may be a plan for you to be photographed by the prophet in two places at once." Remus said.

"Well that is the most convoluted, pointless plan I've ever heard." Harry said finishing his tea and setting his cup down on his saucer with a clink. "But if Bill gets to spend some time with Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George, then I'm fine with that. Is there anything else I need to know?"

Harry was then given Tonks's Auror issue wrist wand holster and an old wand that one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix had won in a duel several years ago. When lending him the holster Tonks had stared at him long and hard, which was slightly frightening when it was your own eyes glaring at you, and told him that she'd be in big trouble if he lost the holster and so if he wasn't careful with it she'd continue to pose as him and get him in trouble too. This, in Harry's opinion wasn't a particularly Auror-y thing to do, but he was a little bit frightened of Tonks so didn't object as she taught him how to hide his phoenix wand in the holster and retrieve it again. The other wand was to be kept in Harry's pocket and handed in to the security desk when they reached the ministry; apparently Dumbledore thought his plan would work better if Harry was not seen with his own wand.

_OOOOO_

Even after spending so long going over the plan, Harry, Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore reached the ministry early, with just under an hour to spare before the trial began at nine o'clock.

The trial, had been labelled by the newspapers as the 'Trial of the Century', which was saying a lot since neither Sirius nor Pettigrew's case was as interesting for the newspapers as the trials for the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr. just over a decade before. The reason this trial was supposed to be big was because not only was it regarding the head of 'A Noble and Most Ancient House', which was apparently a title given to old families, but it also dealt with the Ministry making a mistake which was a favourite topic of all wizarding newspapers and magazines.

Dumbledore lead Harry and Hermione through the atrium, past the hoards of reporter that had gathered to report on the trial, and into the elevator. They spent their time before the trial meeting various members of the Order of the Phoenix so that Harry could let them in on the 'secret' of the location of the headquarters. Harry and Hermione had been introduced to seven Order members, all from different departments at the Ministry by the time the trial finally began.

Sirius's trial was to be held in Courtroom Ten, on the very lowest floor of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Hermione and Remus filed into the courtroom behind Dumbledore.

The courtroom was already full when they entered and, with so many people in the benches rising in levels along each wall, Harry could feel the hundreds of eyes on him. The walls, which were made from some kind of black stone, had the disturbing effect of making the room feel smaller than it was, as though they were slowly closing in on you. Harry felt Hermione's hand wrap itself around his, and realized that, like him, she was fighting back the sudden urge to leave the room and never come back. They were led to an empty row of benches near the back wall where they took their seats, facing a chair in the centre of the room, the arms of which were covered in chains.

Harry looked up at the bench on the top wall, recognizing the Minister for Magic in the centre of the middle row. Glancing down at Harry, and then along his bench, Fudge cleared his voice and called out, "Bring him in."

The room fell silent as a door in the corner of the room opened and Sirius entered, flanked on either side by Aurors.

Sirius was deposited in the chair at the centre of the room, the chains immediately sprung to life, snaking their way around Sirius's wrists and ankles, leaving him incapable of any real movement.

Unnecessarily clearing his voice for the second time, Fudge shuffled through the pieces of parchment on the desk in front of him before looking up at Sirius.

"Sirius Orion Black, you have been brought here today, before the Council of Magical Law and the Wizengamot, to hear evidence on crimes you are believed to have committed in the name of the wizard known as Lord V-voldemort." Fudge said in a clear voice, and Harry couldn't help but smile at the Minister's inability to say Voldemort's name without stuttering. "The crimes of which you stand accused include the murder of twelve Muggles by magical means in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of Muggles _and_ the betrayal of the whereabouts of James and Lily Potter to You-Know-Who, which resulted in their murder and the attempted murder of their son, Harry James Potter. You also stand accused of illegally leaving the prison Azkaban and evading capture by the Ministry for the crimes of which you have been accused. Do you deny these accusations?"

Sirius sat as straight as was possible in his chained chair and looked up at Fudge. "Yes."

Fudge nodded, apparently having already anticipated Sirius's response. "Due to the... unusual circumstances surrounding this case and the media sensationalism, the Council of Magical Law and the Wizengamot, intend for this case to be heard, and for judgement to be passed today. Does anyone in attendance today oppose this proposal?" Fudge looked around the silent room, before turning back to his parchment and shuffling through again, Harry imagined that this was Fudge's attempt to make himself look more important.

Harry took a sip from a flask, pulled a face he hoped looked like he didn't like the contents and tuned out the rest of what Fudge had to say; the Minister had begun listing a load of people in the courtroom and Harry found it quite boring. There was a weird atmosphere in the room, like no one really knew how to react to Sirius. Harry blamed some of this on the Dementors which were waiting outside with Pettigrew. Sirius and Pettigrew's trials had been squashed together by Fudge in an attempt to mitigate the damage done to his reputation by the fact that he'd condemned an innocent man to Azkaban without a trial whilst allowing a murderer to go free.

People kept shooting Harry strange looks too. They'd spent twelve years thinking of Sirius as Voldemort's right hand man and the most dangerous man in magical Britain and now Voldemort was back and a resurrected Harry was publicly supporting Sirius.

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts as Sirius was asked why he and Harry's parents hadn't informed anyone about their Secret Keeper switch.

"I was the obvious choice." Sirius said simply. "James and I were like brothers and we knew that Voldemort would assume that they'd make me Secret Keeper, so we switched. That way if I was captured and killed there would be no way anyone could pass on the secret."

"That's all very admirable, Mr. Black, but why did you select Pettigrew?" Fudge asked.

"James and Lily would never trust anyone other than me, Remus, or Pete with Harry's life and we knew that one of us was a traitor and, with Remus's... little problem-"

"For the court record, Mr. Black, could you specify what Mr. Lupin's 'little problem' is?" Fudge asked, glancing down at the Court Scribe, several rows below him.

Harry heard Sirius sigh, everyone knew that Remus was a werewolf, but with the prejudice against werewolves, it seemed unfair for Fudge to make Sirius point it out in front of everyone. "Because Remus is a werewolf, we thought he might have been the traitor." Sirius ground out.

"Understandable, given that he _is_ a dark creature." Fudge said, nodding for Sirius to continue.

"Remus is _not_ a dark creature!" Sirius hissed and Harry heard Remus sigh in exasperation next to him. "You're all so eager to condemn him and you don't even try to understand. Remus didn't _choose _to become a werewolf; he didn't _decide_ one morning that he wanted to spend the rest of his life being hated by the wizarding world for losing his mind and having all of the bones in his body broken every month." Sirius looked as though, if he wasn't chained to his seat, he'd have gotten up and hexed fudge then and there.

"Regardless Mr. Black, it is irrelevant to this case." Fudge said looking slightly embarrassed by Sirius's outburst.

"No, it's not. That's why we thought Remus had swapped sides. This was before the Wolfsbane potion was developed and Voldemort, in an attempt to recruit the werewolves, was offering a cure to lycanthropy and none of us would have blamed him for taking it. It's bad enough having to watch him go through it every month, none of us could imagine what it was like for him, and even James said he could have forgiven him for turning to Voldemort for a cure, we'd been looking for years. Pete had no reason to turn though, he was always more scared than the rest of us and we always thought he was too frightened of Voldemort to ever join up, not to mention we were friends, he never had any reason to betray us."

Once the Minister had finished questioning Sirius, Harry was called forward to give his evidence, followed by Remus and Hermione. When this was done the Council of Magical Law and the Wizengamot retired to a side chamber for lunch and deliberation.

The trial for Pettigrew was to begin at two o'clock, which gave Harry, Hermione, and Remus almost two hours to kill before they were required to go back to the courtroom. Since everyone had just been reminded that Remus was a werewolf, they decided that it would probably be for the best for them to get out of the Ministry for an hour, and so Remus took them to Diagon Alley for lunch.

_OOOOO_

Seamus had known as soon as Bill entered the Gryffindor Common Room that the person accompanying him wasn't Harry and so was unsurprised when the not-Harry, introduced herself as an Auror called Tonks.

The Weasleys were subdued as they left the common room with Tonks; Bill had arranged for them to take a trip to Hogsmeade together. It hadn't been long since Percy died and as they left it was obvious to everyone that they were all thinking about their brother, if circumstances had been different they all knew that, as an Auror, Percy would have been the brother escorting them to Hogsmeade, not Bill.

When the Weasleys left, Seamus and Dean decided that they would spend the day attempting to teach Neville and a few of the Gryffindor third years how to play rugby, Harry wasn't particularly interested in Muggle sports and Ron was confused by the lack of brooms. Strangely, Neville _was_ interested in learning about rugby and Seamus assumed this was mostly due to his friendship with Dudley, who according to Harry had been invited to try-out for a position as one of the props on the England under-18 team.

Abigail and a couple of her friends from Ravenclaw joined them outside, sitting on a blanket one of them had transfigured, and giggling as Seamus and Dean wrestled for possession of the ball. Seamus let out a shout of delight as he pulled the ball from Dean's arms only to be barrelled over by Neville, who had apparently taken to the game better than they had expected. Neville, who had also been brought down by his tackle, leapt to his feet and collected the ball before promptly tripping over his own feet, falling face first onto the floor.

Watching as Dean, scrambled to his feet and tackled one of the third years that had snatched the ball when Neville dropped it, Seamus retreated to the edge of their makeshift pitch to where the girls were sitting.

"So what do you think of it then?" He asked, sitting down next to Abigail on the edge of the grass.

"It's very violent, isn't it?" She said, wrinkling her nose. "You'd think that since they don't have healers, Muggles would play safer sports wouldn't you?"

"Quidditch is worse," Seamus pointed out, trying to imagine what the Muggle equivalent of a beater would be. "And the Muggle players are huge, Harry's brother's over six feet tall and almost as wide. Harry said he used to be kind of fat, but started on a diet and his school encourages the students to do sports so he ended up getting quite a bit of muscle."

Seamus pretended he didn't notice her purse her lips at the mention of Harry as she said, "Oh, you wouldn't think, looking at how... _delicate _Harry is that he'd have such a strong brother."

Seamus felt his jaw clench. He liked Abigail, he really did, she was clever and pretty and sometimes funny, but she had this weird way of insulting people without actually saying outright that she didn't like them. Like calling Harry delicate, that had to be an insult, girls must know that blokes don't like to be called delicate. "I wouldn't say that he's delicate, I mean he survived the Killing Curse." Seamus reasoned.

She smiled prettily at him and linked her arm through his. "Oh, I know that. He's very brave, isn't he? I just meant he's not strong, you know in the typical _masculine_ way, but he's a very good Seeker, yes, he has the perfect build for a Seeker, skinny and fast." She smiled at him again and planted a kiss on his cheek. "We did like that thing you all did, what was it called, a scrum? I think we've all gained a new appreciation for those Muggle clothes you're all wearing." She said gesturing to the two giggling friends she'd brought with her.

Seamus stared at her, mystified by what she'd just said. If he wasn't wrong she'd just insulted Harry again, whilst at the same time praising him, before then going onto compliment Seamus's arse and legs.

Maybe if he wasn't so obsessed with Harry he'd already be in love with her. She had a brilliant catty side which, for some reason, Seamus found kind of attractive. Unfortunately, her cattiness was not aimed at someone like Malfoy which Seamus would probably have found quite funny, but at Harry who'd _died _for Seamus and he didn't really like that.

He'd been angry when, on the Hogwarts Express, Harry had told Hermione that he loved her and looked at her with so much adoration, it almost felt like Harry was rubbing it in that he was so in love with Hermione. So he'd gotten a girlfriend, partially in the hopes of somehow making Harry jealous and partially because he knew that he'd never be able to have any boyfriend anyway, his mother just wouldn't allow it so he needed to get over Harry in his own way; which was by getting himself a girlfriend.

As he'd kind of expected, none of this had worked. Being with Abigail didn't make him any less attracted to men just as, he imagined, getting a boyfriend wouldn't make him like women any less. Impossibly, his plan to make Harry jealous had backfired spectacularly too. Harry didn't seem to be particularly affected by Abigail, he definitely didn't like her, but Seamus didn't think that meant he was jealous; Seamus, on the other hand, couldn't help but obsess over Harry and Hermione or even Harry and Ginny which was also beginning to look like a possibility.

By the time they'd finished their rugby game and argued over who'd actually won; it was almost time for the evening meal in the Great Hall. They'd never actually played a full game; instead it had just ended up as a free for all, with each boy attempting to tackle the others, and even at one point, attempting to use one another as rugby balls to score tries with.

The Weasleys returned not long after dinner, seemingly happier than when they had all left that morning.

"You know, I'm not sure she's allowed in here." Ron said, slumping in a chair opposite where Abigail and Seamus were curled together on a sofa and pulling handfuls of Honeydukes sweets from his pockets and dumping them on the table between them.

"None of the prefects have said anything." Seamus said with a shrug. "How was your day? Did you leave Ginny in the village?" He asked, noticing that only Ron, Fred, and George had returned to the common room.

"She's seeing Bill back to Dumbledore's office." Ron explained, before nodding towards the sweets. "Help yourself, Bill got carried away. He hasn't been to Hogsmeade since he left school and since he actually has money now he attempted to buy the entire shop."

"Thanks." Seamus said, snatching up a liquorice wand and taking a bite. "So, did you hear about Holly Hunter, that Slytherin seventh year? Abby said she's pregnant."

Ron frowned. "How could you possibly know that? The Slytherins wouldn't want the whole school to know she's a floozy; I mean, does she even have a boyfriend?"

Abigail let out a choked laugh. "A floozy? No one says that anymore. Anyway, my cousin Christina, who's in sixth year said that one of the Burns twins told her that Nicholas Adams is the father."

"Well that has to be a lie, isn't Adams in Hufflepuff? No Slytherin in their right mind would sleep with a Hufflepuff, and for that matter no Hufflepuff would ever sleep with a Slytherin, it goes against the grain." Ron said with an air of finality. "And anyway, if Hunter really was pregnant and the Burns twins, your cousin, and you two know, the whole school would know by now."

"How do you know they don't? You've been out all day." Abigail pointed out.

"Yeah, but Slytherin girls just don't sleep around, everyone knows that. If you'd told me that someone from..." Ron trailed off, his smile slipping as he looked to Seamus for some kind of back up.

They both knew what he was about to say, _Ravenclaw _girls were the ones with the bad reputations, but obviously he couldn't say that in front of Abigail.

"Go on." She said sweetly, gesturing for Ron to continue. "Someone from where?"

"Uh, Ravenclaw_._" Ron whispered, wincing.

"Ah, yes, because girls from Ravenclaw house are sluts, whereas in Gryffindor you strong brave men only date Rosy Palm and her five lovely sisters." She said with a small smile, waving her right hand at Ron.

Ron stared at her for several seconds before his eyes bulged and his ears turned pink. "What?"

Her eyes widened innocently, "Oh sorry, I forget sometimes that Gryffindors can be slow, what I meant to say was that you're all know for polishing your own broomsticks, fl-"

"Yeah, I get it," Ron said hurriedly cutting her off and, if possible, his ears turning redder. "_Bloody hell_, there's something weird about girls talking about stuff like that... and for that matter why can't you just say what you mean anyway? I don't reckon Gin's ever bothered with that weird bitchy beating around the bush thing girls do. Did you get taught how to not say what you really mean or is it just instinctual?"

"Oh, now that's a ridiculous generalization. If you're telling me that girls are incapable of speaking frankly and that you've never heard a man skirt around a topic of conversation, then you're more ignorant than I thought. This may sound strange to you, Weasley, but when you approach a subject in a more tactful manner, that is to say not quite so candidly, you often get your own way." Abigail said, her smile turning slightly sinister as she stared at Ron.

"Well bugger that. You won't catch me dating a bitchy girl." Ron said crossing his arms.

"Good luck finding one." Abigail retorted with a smirk.

"Look, I know it seems stupid but I just don't understand why people can't be more honest about what they're thinking. Yeah, I get there's some things people want to keep to themselves, but if I went around pretending to Malfoy that I liked him and didn't tell him that he's a git I'd probably end up having to spend time with him, which could all have been prevented if I'd just told him I didn't like him in the first place. Like you, we both know we're not keen on each other, but we're trying to be friends and we both know where we stand. It's so much easier." Ron tried to explain as he unwrapped a chocolate frog.

"You're so very Gryffindor, aren't you?" Abigail said, smiling patronizingly at Ron. "_You_ might prefer to talk frankly, but I'm fairly certain that you're the only one of your dorm mates who does. The problem with advertising your dislike for Malfoy is that you're burning bridges before you even get to them. Yes it might be _nicer_ to not keep anyone under the illusion that you _might _like them, but it's not practical."

"Right, so assuming everyone in the world acts as cynical and Slytherin as you've just demonstrated you do, what about when it back fires? So you use your tactful, non-insulting way of saying you don't like something about me... my haircut maybe and I get the wrong end of the stick and think you like it instead, what then? You don't want to go ruining everything by telling me how you really feel."

"I'd have already planted the doubt about your haircut in your mind so that _you _decide you don't like it. As far as you're concerned, I've done nothing and it was all your idea." She said with a shrug.

"And you're all right with this?" Ron asked, staring at Abigail in horror. "Your girlfriend is a Slytherin disguised as a Ravenclaw, no doubt if we cut her open her blood would be green and silver."

Seamus shrugged, as far as he was concerned the bitchiness was attractive and he was fairly sure that all mothers manipulated their son's from birth, his definitely did but it didn't make him love her any less. "If I didn't want a girlfriend smarter than me I shouldn't have asked out a Ravenclaw. She can be very caring too, you probably wouldn't believe it now she's shown her Slytherin side but, I don't know..." He trailed off not sure how to continue as Ron and Abigail once again began their argument.

He supposed what he liked best was the fact that, secretly, she was just as insecure about herself as he was. She was pretty and clever and so bitchy, but underneath it all she was apparently just as worried about what people thought of her as he was, Seamus found it comforting.

He turned in his seat as the portrait hole opened and he caught sight of the real Harry, Hermione, and Ginny entering the common room. Tuning out Ron and Abigail's argument, Seamus strained his ears in an attempt to listen over the din of the common room at what Ginny was apparently so excited over.

"-get married, I just know it! You should have seen them together; Bill didn't stop smiling the whole time. It'll be so perfect too, Bill and Tonks can get married and then you and-"

"_Ginny_! That's not going to happen." Harry interrupted, catching sight of Seamus and Ron by the fire and making his way towards them, something clutched in his arms. "And it's a secret for a reason; don't go blurting it out in the middle of the common room."

"I wasn't going to name any names and I've still got my fingers crossed for you, you're so perfect for each other."

"_Shut up!" _Harry hissed. "Someone will hear."

Rolling his eyes, Seamus ducked further into his seat, obviously Harry and Ginny had managed to get onto the topic of how perfect Harry and Hermione were together. The problem with being in a relationship in the hopes of making someone jealous, Seamus reflected, was that it didn't make him any less jealous of Hermione for having so much of Harry's attention.

"Look!" Harry said, appearing over the back of the sofa Seamus was seated in and thrusting a tiny ginger kitten into Seamus face. "I got us a kitten."

"And by us you mean?"Seamus asked, sitting up in his chair and taking the kitten from Harry.

"Me and you." Harry brushed Ron's sweets to the side and sat down on the coffee table facing Seamus, his eyes shining excitedly. "I know you wanted a pet and after Cosmo was so useful sleeping in the dorm last year I thought we could try getting a kitten. Since you're mum's all allergic to cats and dogs, she can live with me over the summer."

"My mum or the cat?" Seamus asked, understanding instantly why Harry had bought the kitten. He hoped that by Seamus having an animal with him at night it might help him sleep better.

"The cat, I'll have come up with something more permanent by then. Anyway, what do you think of her? I had to name her, because the Ministry had to keep her safe during Pettigrew's trail and they needed a name, so I called her Simba but we can change the name if you want." Harry said anxiously. "It was the first cat name I thought of; thinking back, Nala might have been better but I think she likes being called Simba."

He watched Harry, staring at him with that innocent look on his face, like a small child showing their parent a picture they'd drawn for them.

The kitten blinked at him and Seamus looked away. This was perhaps, the kindest gesture anyone had ever made for him. Not only had Harry just turned up with a kitten, which couldn't have been cheap to buy, but he'd obviously thought about it, and taken a chance that a cat taking up space on Seamus's pillow might help him sleep better without the embarrassment of having someone watch over him half the night.

"Won't your aunt be annoyed?" Seamus asked.

Harry beamed at him, seemingly taking his question as acceptance of his gift. "It doesn't matter, she might be a bit annoyed at me but you can't keep her at your house and if she does help then it'll be worth it, anyway I _did_ set Hiss free and most people like cats better than snakes."

Seamus rubbed his jaw; he _liked _Abigail, he was happy enough to be her boyfriend until now. He kind of hated Harry for it, not that Harry had any idea what he was doing, but it happened so often; Seamus would think about Harry, about his flaws and come to the conclusion that Harry maybe wasn't the best target for his affections, only for him to do something so kind or thoughtful that he couldn't help but fall for him all over again.

He cleared his throat and looked up at Harry and said earnestly, "She's brilliant, thank you." And then before Harry could brush it off as being nothing he quickly added, "So I take it from how happy you are that Sirius got off?"

"The Minister was so worried about him suing the Ministry for unlawful imprisonment that he didn't even bother about trying him for being an illegal Animagus _and_ they gave him three hundred thousand galleons as compensation." Harry told him with a smile. "Pettigrew got life and they took away his Order of Merlin. Remus reckons if they'd requested it, the Minister would have had to sentence him to the kiss. But he and Sirius have had a lot of time to think about it and they don't think my dad would have wanted it and that by asking for the kiss it would be setting a bad example for me, about revenge or something. Not that it matters; I'm still going to kill Crouch one day."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

The notice, detailing the planned process for selecting the school Quidditch team, went up on the house notice boards during the first week of October. Madam Hooch, who had been called in to oversee the try-outs had decided that, for the sake of fairness and inter-house co-operation, each house team was to select a house captain.

These captains, whilst not guaranteed a place in the team themselves, were to form a panel, along with Madam Hooch, who would make the decision on who would be in the school's team. As Oliver Wood had left the previous year, the Gryffindor team had no current captain to nominate and as such the entire Gryffindor Team voted for Harry, except for Harry himself, who'd voted for Angelina.

For the other teams, Cedric, Roger Davis, and a Slytherin sixth year Harry only knew as Montague, were chosen.

The actual try-outs for the team were held on the second Saturday of October. The stands around the Quidditch pitch had already filled up by the time people wanting to try-out paraded down onto the pitch. The captains took their seats on a bench to the side of the pitch, and Madam Hooch stepped out onto the pitch.

"A panel of captains, representing each house, has been chosen by their respective teams." She called to the prospective team members, indicating in the direction of the captains. "Each player may try-out for one position only, and when your turn to try-out is over, you must vacate the pitch. When the try-outs are over, the captains will retire to the Quidditch office to make their decision on who will be on the school team."

Harry glanced up at the stands, noticing for the first time that there were more students standing on the pitch, clutching a broom than there were sitting in the stands.

"Bloody hell, this is going to take all day." Harry groaned eyeing the crowded pitch and wondering why so many people had bothered to turn up, the four house teams already had the best players in the school on them, so anyone not already on a team would have to have rather a lot of confidence in themselves to even try-out.

Cedric nodded, already looking tired at the thought of the task ahead of them. "Yeah, this is ridiculous. We could have at least done House try-outs first. The chasers alone are going to take until lunch." With an amused smile, he patted Harry on the shoulder. "Go on then, get on with it."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Cedric before standing on the bench they were sitting on and facing the students on the pitch. Since both Davis and Montague were trying-out for Chaser, Harry and Cedric were left alone to select three players for the school team. Unfortunately for him, Harry had been chosen to lead the first try-out.

"Right you lot. We're holding Chaser try-outs first, so anyone who's not trying-out for Chaser; get off the pitch." He roared, pointing over to the stands to indicate where they should go. Almost half of the students left the pitch, leaving around fifty still staring up at him, clutching their brooms. "The rest of you, I want you to split up into five groups of around ten."

When they had split into groups, Harry handed out the five Quaffles Madame Hooch had given him and ordered the prospective Chasers to hover several feet above the ground, in circles made up of their group. Once in the air, Harry had the players pass the ball around their circles, with the first twenty to drop their Quaffles automatically off the team.

When this was done Harry had the remaining thirty players fly laps before they began trying to score goals whilst Cedric guarded the three hoops.

As Cedric had predicted, by the time Harry called an end to the Chaser try-outs, it was already lunch and they'd been out on the pitch for almost four hours.

"Merlin, that was ridiculous." Harry grumbled, at least a dozen of the people to try out had been so bad on their brooms that Harry had actually worried for their safety.

"At least that's the worst one over." Cedric said brightly, as they set off towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Yeah," Harry grumbled. "I can't believe you, Davis, and Montague got out of it."

"Stop moaning, at least you're up next. My try-out's last, it'll be so dark I won't be able to see the Quaffles. At least the decision shouldn't be too hard for us. Davis and Montague were the favourites anyway but I wasn't expecting Weasley, why didn't you tell me she was such a good flier?"

"I didn't know." Harry told him honestly, Ginny hadn't even told Harry that she planned to try-out for the team, never mind that she was so good on a broom. "She never told me. Ah, there she is!" Harry pointed in the direction of the Gryffindor changing rooms, where Ginny had just appeared outside the door.

Harry and Cedric paused, waiting for her to catch up.

"Why didn't you tell me you could fly?" Harry asked, accusingly as she approached.

Ginny blushed, her ears turning pink in the same way Ron's did when he was embarrassed. "I thought you'd make me practise with you or something. If I'm good enough for the team I want it to be because I'm good at flying, not because one of the captains has been flying with me for the past few weeks."

"Well you don't need to worry about that." Harry told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and beaming at her. "You were _amazing._"

"You really were." Cedric told her, leaning past Harry to smile at her.

"Now I just need to get on the team too and we'll have the exercise part of our training covered." Harry told her gleefully.

"Oh like you'll have trouble getting on the team." Ginny said rolling her eyes and seeming to ignore Harry's suggestion that she'd made the team. "Malfoy's not bad and Chang's decent enough but they're not in your league."

Harry felt the wind leave his sails, suddenly aware of the fact that people _expected_ him to make the team. The four captains had been chosen by their house teams and, as such, most of the school just assumed that they would make the team. For them, trying out was more of a formality than anything else and Harry worried that he might not actually be as good as they were making out.

He'd been flying a few times that month but he hadn't played an actual game of Quidditch in at least seven or eight months.

"Yeah, maybe."

As it turned out, once he was back on his broom, Harry wasn't sure why he'd been so worried. He managed to out-fly all of the other Seekers when they were flying laps; and catch the snitch in the fastest time he'd ever managed. Unsurprisingly, when he sat back down at the captain's table, Harry was told by Montague that he'd made the team.

The next position to be filled was Beater. This was a relatively simple decision to make too. Lucas Bagman, from the Hufflepuff team was easily the best Beater in the school, but even he conceded that the Weasleys twins, whilst individually were not as good as him, worked better together as a team than any two other Beaters could ever hope to.

Wood, who was apparently the best Keeper the school had seen in years, had left the previous year, along with the Ravenclaw Keeper and the other Hufflepuff Keeper; the Slytherin Keeper, Bletchley, was an idiot who had only been put on the team because, even stationary, he could block two of the three hoops at the end of the Quidditch pitch without having to put in any effort. Cedric was the favourite to win the position of Keeper; therefore, it came as no surprise to anyone, when Cedric was awarded the position of Keeper on the Hogwarts Quidditch team.

It was dark by the time the final tryout was over. Fortunately, the Captains had already decided who would be on the team as they were helping clear the pitch and so were able to hand over the parchment, detailing the players and their positions, to Professor Dumbledore as they headed back up to the castle for their evening meal.

Dumbledore's announcement, of who would be on the school team, was met with uproar, mostly from the Slytherins who were outraged by the number of Gryffindors on the team, and a number of people who believed that they should have made the team instead. Several people in Gryffindor were annoyed that Ginny had been chosen for the team over people who'd been playing for the Gryffindor team for years; however, when Ron pointed out to them that Ginny had flown better than anyone else trying out their protests slowly died out.

_OOOOO_

Harry spent almost every minute he wasn't in lessons or flying, practicing his duelling and meditating to find his Animagus animal. This meant he missed a lot of what was going on with his friends. Madam Pomfrey had allowed Ron to spend his Sundays in the hospital wing shadowing her, in order for him to get experience in the infirmary and a feel for what it would be like to be a Healer. Hermione had begun studying to do Muggle GCSEs which Harry thought would be an impossible task since she'd have four whole years of Muggle schooling to catch up on. Harry didn't think he'd missed too much of what Neville, Seamus and Dean were up to.

Simba had apparently taken to sleeping across the whole of Seamus's pillow, which, for such a tiny kitten, was quite a feat; Harry dreaded to think what she'd be like when she was fully grown, apparently cats like her could grow to be almost a meter long. Despite her propensity for sleeping in the most annoying places and the fact that she'd attempted to use Harry's broomstick as a scratch post, she had taken to Seamus and did seem to be helping him with his nightmares.

Cedric, who had been voted team captain, had begun extending practices in anticipation of the arrival of the other schools the next week and so Harry and Ginny were finding less and less time to practice their duelling along with doing everything else they needed to do.

On their way back from that afternoon's practice, which had dragged on for several hours longer then they had expected, Harry and Ginny decided that they would wait until after that evening's meal before going out onto the grounds to practice their duelling, Ginny had a Transfiguration essay due the next day, and Harry hoped to spend some more time meditating on his Animagus animal form.

"So how does this whole Animagus thing work?" Ginny asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the rest of the team. "I mean, I get _how _it works but what about for you? Your bond, I mean?"

Harry shrugged. "It's safe, being an Animagus won't change the bond at all. If you think of people as bowls of soup-"

"Bowls of soup?" Ginny asked sceptically, tucking the hand not holding her broom into her pocket.

"Yeah think of the bowls as our bodies and the soup as souls. The soup is the important bit, the bowl just holds it. Mine and Hermione's are connected by a tube between the two, so the soup's all mixed. So like, if you poisoned one bowl the other would become poisoned and if you drank all the soup from one you'd end up drinking all of both." Harry tried to explain, thinking back to everything Dudley had explained about how his and Hermione's auras looked.

"So that would be like getting the kiss?" Ginny asked. "If you were to be kissed by a Dementor Hermione would lose her soul too?"

"I think so. That's why we both have to go back when we use a Time-Turner, it'd be like taking away the tube connecting the bowls but leaving the holes in the side. We don't actually know what that would do but I don't think it would be good. But with being an Animagus it's different; just imagine transfiguring the bowl into a cup but leaving the soup and tube, nothing but the outside has changed... in theory." Harry said, lowering his voice, Dumbledore had assured him and his uncles that Harry becoming an Animagus wouldn't damage the bond, but there was always the worry there that it could.

"Well let's hope that you becoming an Animagus doesn't do any damage to you." Ginny said brightly, swapping her broom to her other shoulder and breathing into her other hand in an attempt to warm it up, the weather had gotten quite cold over the past few weeks which meant that their training sessions for both Quidditch and duelling were becoming more and more arduous.

"_If_ I ever find my animal." He said, speeding up, the school doors were in sight and he wanted to get out of the cold as soon as possible, Cedric didn't let them bring anything but their brooms, wands and Quidditch kit out onto the pitch so now that they weren't flying they were beginning to feel the cold.

"You've spent what, six hours on it this week alone and more last week, so that's," She paused to work it out in her head. "Almost fifty hours meditating since we came back to school, you'll find it soon and then you can go back to pining over Seamus."

"The meditation is the easy bit, it doesn't even make up one percent of the overall transformation, there's a lot to do yet and I don't even have my animal yet. And why don't _you _go back to pining over Neville and stop obsessing over who _I _like, or for that matter Bill and Tonks. I sat right next to you when you were talking me up to Seamus the other day, he thinks _you_ fancy me now... so does your brother." Harry said, he was still too pleased that Ginny didn't hate him for being gay to be too annoyed at her desire to play matchmaker.

"But you're so sweet together, like an old married couple with your bickering and the way you're both always looking out for each other." Ginny said, not at all disheartened by Harry's attempt to shut her up. "You'd make the cutest couple ever."

"You are talking about me and Seamus aren't you, not someone else? Just because I like him it doesn't mean I'd ever think we could make a good couple, even if he was gay, which he isn't. We're both angry, secretive, and argumentative; we both want to know everything about the other but aren't willing to tell our own secrets, we barely work as friends." Harry stated flatly.

"And yet you're still obsessed with him." Ginny said smugly as they paused to pull open the school doors. As it was Sunday and late afternoon, all of the students who weren't in the school Quidditch team would be in their own common rooms or the library getting homework assignments finished for the next week and so Harry and Ginny didn't need to worry about ending their conversation until they reached the common room.

"There's just something about him, y'know?" Harry said, running a hand through his hair as they ascended the stairs. "After everything that's happened to him, and what he's seen in the diary he's still... _magnetic, _maybe he's just a good actor, but when he's around other people he's so positive and confident, you'd never believe how much he's suffered."

"You've suffered too." Ginny pointed out and Harry heard a hard edge to her voice, as though she was also trying to hint at the fact she'd been through just as much as Seamus. "He might smile and whatever, but at least you're trying to fight back, he's not."

"But it's not about that, I never said he's perfect. He's annoyingly tidy, sometimes he gets a look in his eyes that I find kind of disturbing, his priorities are all wrong and I honestly think he's actually losing it... have you noticed that he counts his steps every time he walks somewhere, he doesn't stop unless his last step was on an even number?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "_No one's _noticed that."

"You must have, half the time he whispers the numbers to himself." Harry said. "But then again he is kind of perfect, in his own way. Have you ever heard him play his fiddle? Merlin, I reckon anyone would fall for him after that. And you've got to admit he's attractive, and kind, and loyal-"

Ginny leant over the banister, pretending to vomit over the rail. "Bloody hell, if I ever get as soppy as you, do me a favour and just Avada Kedavra me, and I thought I was exaggerating when I said you're obsessed."

"I knew growing up in a house with all boys has made you less girly." Harry said, rolling his eyes at her theatrics.

"Yeah and it's probably for the better. I really would love to see the two of you together, mainly because you seem to have the worst luck in the world. I mean you're parents were killed, you've got a potentially fatal and totally invasive soul bond, there's a mass murdering psychopath out after you, _and _you're a Muggle-raised, gay, half-blood in a world where only straight purebloods are accepted... you're well and truly fucked."

"Uh, thanks." Harry said, a bit too shocked by Ginny's language to articulate any kind of real response.

"It just seems like life isn't fair for you and now you've gone and fallen for Seamus. I'd love, for once, for you to get what you want and I really think you'd be quite sweet together, just spare me the disgustingly saccharine details of your obsession."

Harry laughed. "I don't know whether to be flattered or annoyed."

"Be flattered, I'd prefer it if you didn't take out your annoyance at me tonight whilst we're duelling... I've still got a bruise from that practice the other week after you'd walked in on Seamus and Huffman snogging."

"So what were you so annoyed about on Friday when you bust my lip with that, well I _think_ it was supposed to be a disarming charm?" Harry asked running his tongue over his bottom lip where she'd hit him, as they reached the portrait hole.

"Nothing, I just needed something to practice that healing charm on." Ginny said with a shrug, before giving the Fat Lady the password and clambering through the portrait hole.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "We'll practice disarming tonight since you _still _haven't got it properly right."

"As I said, I wanted to perfect my healing charms first." Ginny said haughtily as they were greeted by several people all wanting to know how the practice had gone.

"Yeah, well, I'll see you at dinner." Harry said, still being bombarded with questions about the practice as he crossed the common room to the staircase leading up to his dormitory.

Once he'd explained that, at the moment, the team seemed to be working together quite well, Harry managed to escape the common room to the empty dormitory.

Humming a tune he'd heard on the radio to himself, Harry scooped Simba off his trunk, plonking her outside the dormitory door and locking it, she had a nasty habit of jumping on him as soon as he felt he was getting anywhere with his meditation. He locked his broom in the wardrobe, the only place the cat couldn't get to it, dumped his dirty Quidditch clothes in a heap at the side of his bed and pulled on a pair of his brother's old jeans and an oversized t-shirt; Sirius had suggested he try and get as comfortable as possible before meditating.

Harry dropped onto his bed, closing his eyes and resting his arms by his side as he crossed his legs. He'd tried Occlumency a couple of times but it hadn't ended well for him, it was all to do with clearing your mind and emptying yourself of emotions. Animagus meditation was similar, you did have to sort of clear your mind, but rather than getting rid of or controlling your emotions you were supposed to follow them, focusing in on your emotions and magical energy to find the animal at the root of it all. Harry was terrible at suppressing his emotions, but thankfully he was quite good at focusing in on them, maybe that was to do with how self-pitying he could be, he did kind of enjoy dwelling on how he was feeling.

He'd gotten quite used to this kind of mediation and so found it fairly easy to focus in on how he was feeling, letting his magic guide him.

At first he thought he'd fallen asleep, he'd done it a few times when first learning to meditate and that day's practice _had _been rather tiring.

He found himself outside, in some ways the landscape reminded him of where he'd gone when Voldemort had killed him, there was a kind of mist hanging in the air as though waiting for Harry to appear so it could finally form into something.

Through the mist, which was slowly forming into what looked like a patch of grass by the lake on the school grounds, Harry saw a shadowy Simba attempting to chase her own tail. Harry laughed and walked closer, she didn't usually like to go too far away from the Gryffindor Common room unless Harry, Hermione or one of Harry's dorm mates were around.

As he approached the mist seemed to form into something more solid and the cat came into greater focus. The first thing he noticed was that the cat was black rather than ginger, like Simba. Harry blinked and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, wondering how he'd missed that.

The cat seemed to hear his approach, it turned to face him and Harry caught a flash of his own eyes staring back at him before there was a crash from inside the bedroom and Harry was snapped back into the real world.

Harry wheeled around to face the door, finding Seamus standing, beaming at him from the doorway.

"Harry, I just-" He broke off, taking in the look of astonishment on Harry's face. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yeah." Harry cleared his throat and pushed himself off his bed. "I think I might've just found my Animagus form." He said slowly, a smile slowly creeping onto his face as he thought back to his vision.

Seamus's smile froze and a look of annoyed resignation crossed his face. "_Shit, _I mean brilliant, well done, really brilliant. What is it then?" He said, his voice sounding a little bit too strained for Harry to believe he was being sincere.

"A cat." He said triumphantly. "A black cat, Hermione's going to think this is brilliant... this _is _brilliant, I'm a cat. I can climb, and go to Egypt and be a god, and go to America and make everyone think they're getting a load of bad luck."

"I think you're getting a bit carried away, mate, I'm not sure they've worshiped cats in Egypt for over a thousand years, wasn't the cat god a girl anyway? She was called Basket or something." Seamus said rubbing his jaw and not looking nearly as impressed as Harry thought he should.

"Yeah, but it's the first breakthrough I've had." Harry said, trying not to let Seamus's lack of enthusiasm curb his. He guessed this was probably due to the fact that Seamus had never really wanted him to become an Animagus in the first place, still he'd kind of expected Seamus to be a little more pleased for him than this.

"No, it's really brilliant, mate... a _cat, _just like Simba." He said, his voice becoming higher as he spoke. "A cat, Merlin. Just make sure you check with Sirius, and that Tonks woman, and maybe Dumbledore, before moving onto the next stage, yeah?"

"You could be a bit happier about it." Harry said, sitting back down on his bed and frowning at Seamus in disappointment.

Seamus rubbed his knuckle against his jaw and nodded. "You're right. Sorry, I really am pleased for you; I mean this is massive, brilliant really; I really am happy about it... a bit worried, but happy. I've just got other things on my mind at the moment, sorry. Just don't try to transform too soon, I'd hate for you to get stuck in animal form or anything like that. I bet my Animagus form would be a donkey or something and I really wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life like that just to keep you company."

Harry felt his face crease into what was probably an embarrassingly soppy smile. "You'd do that for me?"

Seamus smiled fondly at him before tilting his head and smirking at him. "Well, only if I had to, I mean I'm too handsome to spend the rest of my life as an animal."

Harry flushed, _that _made up for Seamus's lack of enthusiasm about him finding his inner animal. "Yeah, I mean, uh, what were you going to tell me?" Harry asked, remembering that Seamus had been about to say something when he had burst into the room.

"What? Oh, _oh _yeah, no it doesn't matter. It's nothing really." Seamus said shaking his head and turning back to the door to scoop up the cat. "You'll probably want to go tell Hermione... I'll see you at dinner."

Seamus left the dormitory, leaving Harry sat on his bed completely confused by the conversation he'd just had.

"Right, see you later, then." Harry said to the empty room, standing up and dumping the contents of his trunk onto the floor in search of the mirror Sirius had given him, he had just about enough time before dinner to call home and let them know about his success with his meditation.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

It was a week before the teams from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were due to arrive when Fred and George cornered Harry after Quidditch practice.

Ginny paused in the doorway of the changing rooms, waiting for Harry to catch up to her so that they could discuss that night's duelling on their way back up to the castle. Fred turned to her, smiling in what Harry found to be a quite sinister way. "We need a _private_ word with Harry; you might as well head back to the school now, we could be a while."

Harry shared a worried look with Ginny whose nostrils flared as she glared at her brothers. "And _why _do you need a 'private word with Harry'? If it's something _I _can't hear about you're either up to something highly illegal and don't want mum to find out, or you want to talk about me."

"It's illegal." Fred said, nodding hurriedly as he tried to usher her out of the door.

"Yeah, really, really illegal." George agreed, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder so that he couldn't make a break for it.

"You're lying." Ginny accused.

"Nope, we're planning on breaking the law." Fred said.

"Big time." George said with a solemn nod as Fred slammed the door closed and hurriedly locked it as Ginny began hammering on the door.

"Bugger off, we're not talking about you-"

"Don't be so paranoid." George shouted through the door, choking back a laugh as Ginny swore at them through the door before giving it what sounded like a big kick and storming off back towards the castle.

"Anyway, about Ginny." Fred said, turning away from the door as George pushed him down onto one of the benches.

The twins sat down on a bench opposite Harry, staring at him intently. Harry nervously pushed his glasses up his nose and frowned up at the twins. "I'm not sure I'm happy about talking about Ginny behind her back, have you ever been on the receiving end of one of her curses? We're duelling tonight and if she finds out I talked to either of you I'm dead."

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about." George said solemnly.

"We're not happy with the amount of time you're spending duelling." Fred said.

"Look, I'm not _interested_ in her if that's what you're on about; we're just practicing defensive magic, nothing more." Harry said hurriedly not liking the idea of any of the older Weasley brothers thinking he might like her in that way, it would probably end badly for him if they did.

"That's not what we're worried about." Fred said.

"Although now you mention it," George said with a small grin before shaking his head. "Nah, we're not worried about that, you get what it's like to have a sister so if you were interested in Ginny I think we'd be happier for you to be with her than anyone else... Thought that isn't to say we'd be happy."

"Just _happier_, if you understand what we mean." Fred said before shooting a nervous glance towards the door and saying loudly. "Not that we'd ever interfere in Ginny's personal life, _ever._"

"But we do think you're overworking her."

"You are kidding?" Harry asked incredulously, sitting forward on his seat. "We've stopped training on mornings and have a couple of days off every week."

"Look, we don't have a problem with you two practicing duelling but she's barely got time to do school work." Fred said, Harry thought this was probably one of the few times he'd ever had a serious conversation with the twins.

"Since when have either of you ever cared about school work?" Harry asked, feeling a little uncomfortable at the earnest looks on the twins' faces, the twins being serious just felt wrong, like Severus laughing.

"She's coming back to the common room past curfew every night." George continued, ignoring Harry's raised eyebrow at their hypocrisy.

"She's covered in bruises, all the time." Fred pointed out.

"We're not asking you to stop you're duelling, but with Quidditch practice and school work we really think you should calm it down a bit, mate." George said leaning forward on the bench.

"Yeah, we think you might have set your standards a bit high with your training. Perce was always a bit of an overachiever, maybe _he_ could keep up with your practices but Gin's different." Fred added, watching Harry with a look close to pity in his eyes.

Harry stared at the twins for several seconds, trying to work out what he was supposed to say in response without getting too angry, they were only trying to do the best by Ginny. "Look, if you're trying to suggest that I'm trying to replace Perce then you're wrong. I know they're not the same person and I'd never dream of pretending they were, Percy was my friend and I think you're not understanding _why _we spend so much time practicing."

George sat back against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and Fred gestured for him to explain what he meant. "Go on then."

"Percy's death was my fault and-"

Harry was cut off by the twins sighing. "No one blames you for what happened." George said, rubbing the back of his neck and eying Harry warily.

"Just listen." Harry ground out, already finding himself nearing the end of his patience with the twins. "We weren't... _cohesive _enough, if we'd worked properly together we should have been able to anticipate the other's reactions, I should have been able to at least try and fight Crouch."

"Harry, Bill showed us your memory of what happened." Fred said.

"There was nothing either of you could have done."

"Well to begin with I could have not shouted to him, I could have been quicker to warn him what Crouch was about to do, I could have attempted to stop Crouch- there are tonnes of things I _could_ have done but that's not what we're discussing." Harry said digging his nails into his palm, he didn't want to get annoyed at the twins, they didn't understand. "We're talking about Ginny and you need to understand why we need so much practice. She has every intention of fighting as soon as she can, and I can't let what happened to Percy happen again. I told her before we started that she needed to be serious about wanting to learn how to fight and she agreed, there's no point in even bothering if we're not going to put the effort in."

"We understand, Harry we just don't want you to overdo it, either of you." Fred said seriously.

"Look, we're doing Patronuses tonight and if you want you can join us and see what we do. Actually I'd prefer it if you do, I'll ask Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Neville, and Dean too, that's one spell you should all know with Voldemort being back." Harry said standing up and collecting his broom from the bench next to him. "I'll meet you after dinner and if you both feel the same after that we can talk about it again. I'll see you at dinner."

_OOOOO_

Harry asked the Hermione, Ron, Neville and Dean if they'd like to learn the Patronus Charm over dinner but didn't get a chance to ask Seamus, who was eating with Huffman at the Ravenclaw table, until after dinner.

"Seamus, can I have a word?" Harry called across the entrance hall as the four house tables filed out of the Great Hall.

Seamus turned around, muttered something to Huffman who shot Harry a nasty look, and made his way across the busy hall in Harry's direction.

"What's up?" Seamus asked, having to shout over the voices of everyone else in the hall.

"Are you allowed to sit at the Ravenclaw table?" Harry demanded jealously, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be asking Seamus about learning the Patronus Charm.

Seamus shrugged. "No one said anything, so I'm guessing I am. The tournaments about inter-house cooperation so it'd probably be a bit counterproductive to stop us sitting at other house tables. Did you just want to check I wasn't getting myself into trouble or did you actually want something? Abigail said she'd help me with my potions essay." He said gesturing over his shoulder to where Huffman was standing with a group of her friends, watching Harry carefully from across the room.

"Why can't me and Hermione help you with your potions?" Harry asked, feeling somewhat betrayed by Seamus asking Huffman for help, he and Hermione were by far the best in their own house at potions and he thought that Hermione, at least, was better than Huffman. "Sev's been teaching us the theory since we were nine."

"I know your good at potions but I spend enough time with you lot, she wants to spend a bit of time with me."

"Dean and Neville said you've barely been in the Common Room whilst the rest of us have been out, I'm sure that's more than enough time to spend with her." Harry said.

"I've been busy, doing other things... in the library." Seamus said cagily, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.

"You don't like to read in the library, you've always said it's too quiet; and anyway didn't your _Ravenclaw _girlfriend want to spend time in the library too? I thought it was like their second common room."

"That's not a fair stereotype; it's like saying Gryffindors spend all their time on the Quidditch Pitch or running headlong into danger without thinking..." Seamus said looking pointedly at Harry and smirking. "Not _all _Gryffindors are that stupid."

"Yeah, well, I didn't hear you saying that I should think more when I gave my life for you." Harry said irritably, not liking how Seamus was defending the Ravenclaws by insulting him.

"You didn't, did you? Maybe I should have said it louder because I remember saying you should think more, or at least you _shouldn't _have done it. Anyway what did you want to say?" Seamus said, looking more annoyed than upset that Harry had brought up the World Cup.

Harry frowned, Seamus might not have been upset by it but it wasn't fair to bring the World Cup up against him, not when Seamus already felt indebted to Harry. "Yeah, I know you did; sorry. Me, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Neville, Fred, and George are all off out onto the grounds so I can teach them the Patronus Charm, do you want to come with us?"

"Like I said, I'm doing potions tonight." Seamus said glancing over his shoulder towards Huffman.

"I'd really like you to learn it." Harry said sincerely, regretting how he'd behaved towards Seamus; he wondered if he'd have been more willing to come out with them if Harry had not harassed him about spending time with Huffman. "It's really useful and with Voldemort back, it's one of the few spells I think the school should consider teaching as part of the curriculum."

"I'm busy." Seamus said taking a pointed step back.

"What about tomorrow? You don't just learn it in one go so we'll be practicing for a few nights at least."

"I'm busy." Seamus said.

"Seriously? You don't have to put in much effort, just come and learn the charm. What reason could you have to not? We barely get to spend time together as it is and this way you'll be learning a charm that could save your life." Harry said, not understanding why Seamus was rejecting his offer. "Huffman can come too, if she must." He took a deep breath, Huffman coming along was the biggest compromise he could offer him.

"Look I know I don't see you all enough, maybe we could all play cricket next week or something? We've not spent much time together for a while and I'd like to, but not learning the Patronus Charm... I just don't want to." Seamus said, and for just a moment Harry saw a flash of sadness in Seamus' eyes. "I'll see you tonight. Let me know how it goes, I've always wondered whether the twins' patronuses would be the same."

Harry watched as Seamus turned away from him, making his way across the entrance hall to where Hoffman and the other Ravenclaws were waiting for him.

It wasn't until later when he was heading out towards the lake, where he and Ginny practiced their duelling, that he realized Seamus hadn't explained _why_ he didn't want to learn the Patronus Charm. It occurred to him that maybe it wasn't that Seamus didn't _want_ to learn the charm, but that maybe he couldn't. After all, Seamus had been through a lot in the Chamber so it wouldn't exactly be hard to believe that he didn't have a good memory to use for the charm.

It took just over a week of practices, without a dementor or boggart substitute, for everyone to produce a corporeal Patronus. Some of the Patronuses were unsurprising, or rather fairly normal animals; Hermione's was a doe, Ron's was a terrier, Dean's was a pelican, and Ginny's a horse. More surprising were Neville's and the twins'; as Seamus had suspected, the twins Patronuses were identical although Harry doubted anyone could have predicted that they would be pterodactyls, apparently extinct animals were rare for Patronuses, and to Neville's amazement his Patronus was a lion.

_OOOOO_

Harry bent low over his empty plate, trying to hide his face as the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons filed into the Great Hall. There were around twenty students from each school; the seven team members, various substitutes and others who seemed to have been brought along just to support their respective schools.

Once they'd got over the initial outrage that Victor Krum was to play on the Durmstrang school team, everyone in the school seemed to be clamouring to meet him. Harry, on the other hand, still hadn't quite gotten over the embarrassment of not recognizing Krum at the World Cup and instead was trying his hardest to avoid him. Unfortunately, it seemed that the students of Durmstrang had gotten used to having a professional Quidditch player and instead were apparently eager to meet the 'boy-who-lived', especially amidst the recent speculation of the Daily Prophet that he might not have survived his second public confrontation with Voldemort.

Much to Harry's dismay, Krum somehow spotted him from across the hall and made a beeline for the Gryffindor table, the entirety of the Durmstrang party falling into step behind him as the Beauxbatons students took seats at the Ravenclaw table.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Krum asked, appearing behind Harry and looking pointedly at the space between Harry and Ginny on the bench.

Ginny turned in her seat, looking Krum up and down and nodded. "Go for it. Harry told us he'd met you at the World Cup, I bet he was star stuck; all of his favourite players are Seekers." She shuffled along the bench and winked at Harry, knowing full well that Harry hadn't recognized Krum when he'd met him.

"Vill you be flying for Hogvarts in the tournament?" Krum asked, taking his seat as the other Durmstrang students took seats at various intervals along the Gryffindor table.

"Yeah, I'm reconsidering now I know you'll be playing though, I'll look like a massive idiot next to you on a broom... Ginny's playing too, she's a Chaser." Harry said, trying to divert attention away from himself, he wasn't sure whether Krum knew he hadn't recognized him.

"And you are Harry's girlfriend?" Krum asked, turning in his seat to look at Ginny.

Ginny snorted, a little too amused at this for Harry's liking. "What? Don't you think I'd be a good boyfriend."

"I think you'd make _someone_ a good boyfriend, but not me, no." She looked up at Krum. "No, Harry and I aren't together, Harry's practically a member of my family. My brother shares a dorm with him." She said, pointing at Ron, who blushed furiously at being brought to Krum's attention before pointing to the twins further down the house table. "Those two are the Beaters for the school team, and Harry and my older brother Percy were really close when he was still a-at school."

"So most of your team is the same Hogvarts house as you?" Krum asked.

"Yeah, well, all of Ginny's family are brilliant at Quidditch, so no one was all that surprised with that. We've also got Cedric Diggory, he's our Keeper, and Davis and Montague are the other two Chasers." Harry said pointing to each person as he said their names. "Who's on your team?"

"Vell, I am the Seeker, then ve have Nikolov, who is our Keeper." Krum said, pointing down the table to a thin blonde boy sitting several seats down from where Harry and his friends were sitting. "Our Beaters are Yanev and Iliev." Krum pointed to the end of the table where a muscular, square jawed girl sat with a boy whose head seemed to sit on his shoulders without a neck to connect them. "And our Chasers are Novikov, Matei, Varga." He pointed out two boys and a girl, all sat at different points along the table.

"Well, now I really don't want to play. That Beater, what's her name, Yanif? She's more muscular than my brother." Harry said eyeing her with uncertainty. "You don't want to get on her bad side do you?"

Krum nodded thoughtfully. "Vell that is her boyfriend." He pointed further along the table towards a boy who looked several years too old to be still at school and seemed to be only a few feet shorter than Hagrid. "He is the younger brother of Dimitrov."

"Merlin-" Harry didn't get a chance to finish what he was saying before Dumbledore stood up and the Great Hall fell silent.

_"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and - most particularly - guests," _Dumbledore said, beaming around at the students congregated in the hall_. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable." _

There were a few murmurs from a couple of Beauxbatons students who didn't look to be nearly as comfortable at their table as the Durmstrang students who, before Dumbledore stood up, had all seemed to be getting to know the Gryffindors sitting around them.

"There will be several announcements, after dinner, with regards to the tournament." Dumbledore said_. "_But _now _I _invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"_

Once dinner was underway Dean, Seamus, Neville, and Ron all attempted to engage Krum in conversation, each taking it in turns to drop hints about Harry not realizing Krum was Krum at the World Cup in an attempt to embarrass Harry.

As the conversation moved onto the topic of Muggle sports, and Ginny and several of the other Durmstrang boys joined in, Harry shifted in his seat, closer to Hermione.

"Has Sev talked to you? He stopped me this morning when I was running late for Transfiguration, took ten points off me and said he wanted a word with us in his office tomorrow afternoon. He said he'd talk to you but I didn't know if he'd got the chance, I certainly haven't." Harry said, keeping his voice low so that no one would hear them.

"Charity told me, do you have any idea what it could be about?" She asked.

"No idea, you're the smart one."

"Well," She said, taking a sip from her goblet and glancing up at the staff table to where Severus and Charity were sitting eight seats apart pretending they didn't really know each other. "We'll find out tomorrow anyway. It just seems odd they want us to go to Severus's chambers so early, you don't think we're in trouble do you?"

"Hard to tell with Sev, isn't it? He probably knows everything I've done that's against school rules since the start of term so why he'd want to see us now I don't know."

When dinner and desert were over, Professor Dumbledore stood up and addressed the school and its guests once again. "As many of you are aware, one of the members of the Durmstrang team, Mr. Krum, has played Quidditch on a professional level for several years and in light of this, myself along with Mr. Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime," at this Dumbledore looked pointedly at Karkaroff, "have agreed that in the interest of fairness, the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons school teams will be each allowed two professional Quidditch players to act as coaches to their respective teams at various points throughout the year."

There was applause from the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons students along with some good natured mutterings from the Durmstrang students.

Dumbledore raised his hand for silence and continued, "Now, I understand that today has been a long day for all but, in order for us to request the services of the Quidditch players chosen by the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons teams we need the names as soon as possible and so we ask that the teams from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons remain behind in order to make their decisions, and now I bid the rest of you, goodnight."

Once everyone not on the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons school teams had left the Great Hall, Cedric, Davis, and Montague stood up and joined Harry, Ginny, and the twins at the Gryffindor table.

"I think we should have Oliver Wood back." Harry said as soon as the team sat down. "I know he's only a reserve, but he's seen everyone, except Ginny, fly a million times and I don't know any one more obsessed with winning than him."

"Yeah, Wood's the perfect choice." Davis said, nodding his head in agreement.

"Are you sure?" Cedric asked, looking unhappy with their choice. "He only plays for the reserve team and he's not been with them for all that long, does he really even count as a professional player?"

"He'll have picked up some training techniques and he knows everyone's flying style." Fred pointed out.

"Yeah, last year he spent hours watching us fly, he had diagrams and everything." George agreed.

Cedric's shoulder's sagged slightly and he nodded. "Fine, yeah, Wood's alright then. Who do we want as the other one?"

Harry glanced over at the Beauxbatons team who were all chattering away in French, seemingly unable to come to a decision about who to choose.

"I think we should have Gwenog Jones." Montague said.

"Is that a good idea? The Harpies and Puddlemere don't exactly get along, wasn't there a riot at their last match?" Harry asked.

"She's fit." Montague said with a shrug.

"You do realize she's insane, don't you?" Ginny asked, frowning at Montague. "She nearly got kicked off the team last year for hitting Harriet Owen over the head with her Beater's bat, because she _dropped_ _a quaffle_."

"She really is very fit." Davis said, as though Ginny hadn't said anything.

"As much as I hate to agree with Montague, Jones _is _fit." George said.

"Are you really making this decision based on how _attractive_ she is? What if she kills Oliver or something?" Harry asked, looking to Ginny and Cedric for support.

"I _would _really like to meet her though." Ginny said looking torn. "And it would be nice to see her hit a bludger at you lot for trying to eye her up mid-practice." Looking thoughtful she gestured to Montague, Davis and the twins.

"Well you're the captain, what do you think?" Davis asked, looking to Cedric.

Cedric sighed. "She _i__s_ really good, and a captain. So even if she does hit us with her Beater's bat it'll all be for the best, I suppose. Yeah we'll go with Jones and Wood, I'll go tell Dumbledore. You lot should go to bed, we've got a practice tomorrow morning before breakfast." He stood up and made his way to the staff table where Dumbledore was sitting alone in his chair, humming softly to himself.

"So, what did you think of Krum?" Harry asked as he and Ginny stood up and crossed the Great Hall.

"He's better looking from a distance isn't he?" Ginny said. "But he seems nice; I think he has his eye on Hermione, he kept looking at her whilst she was quizzing that Durmstrang girl about the curriculum at their school."

"I think he's a massive git." Harry said immediately. "Well to be fair, he's nice. Not as stuck up as you'd expect him to be... but I don't like the idea of him liking Hermione."

"He's not so bad and you don't have to worry about him and Hermione, Ron was fawning over him so much I bet he's already planning their wedding." Ginny said with a look of disgust. "With someone as famous as you sleeping in the next bed over from him every night you'd think he wouldn't get so starry eyed over celebrities like that."

"Yeah but Krum is his favourite Quidditch player, you know that. I bet you'll be the same when Jones gets here."

"I will not; and wasn't that whole thing sickening, ooh 'she's so fit' let's pick her? The gits, I hope she batters the lot of them with her Beater's bat." Ginny said, shaking her head in annoyance as they hurried up the stairs towards the common room.

"It's nice to see you in a good mood for once... _oh_ wait." Harry grinned at her and messed up her hair. "At least most of the team was united over something for a change, it might come in handy when our coaches try and kill each other."

"You can't expect me to be in a good mood, do you realize that over the last few weeks I've spent every minute of my spare time with my brothers? Or you and you're practically one of us anyway." Ginny said, hopping over the trick step that Neville always forgot about.

"At least you get to see your brothers." Harry pointed out. "And when you do they can't see everything you're thinking. I've got a brother and a sister, if you count Hermione as my sister, which I do, and both of them can practically read my mind."

"Whereas the only person that's ever been able to read my mind was a mass murdering psychopath, and your brother, kind of, although I've only seen him once." Ginny said with a dramatic sigh. "Although, whether reading auras is like reading minds is debatable."

"You're an arse; you can't just play the Chamber of Secrets card whenever you want an excuse to be miserable." Harry said, wondering how quick he'd get annoyed at Dudley if he had to spend all of his free time with him. Dudley was kind of selfish, which was irritating, and a bit of a show off but he was probably one of the nicest people Harry knew which, even Hermione agreed, could be infuriating when you compared yourself to him.

"But you can make the same excuses for Seamus when he's being moody?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not fair." Harry protested. "It's different."

"Aww, you're so in love, it's almost sickening."

"Don't you think it's a little insensitive to tease someone about fancying someone who's never going to like them back?" Harry asked.

"It would be, if I didn't secretly really wish he would like you back." Ginny said, putting an arm around Harry's shoulder and grinning at him.

"Balderdash." Harry said as they reached the painting of the Fat Lady before turning to Ginny and adding, "It's not really a secret."

"I bet you had that planned," Ginny accused with a grin as she climbed through the portrait hole. "You probably spent the whole walk up to the common room planning how you could seamlessly fit the password into a conversation."

"Yeah, I Imperioused you so you'd say exactly what I wanted you to say, right as we reached the portrait." Harry said with a roll of his eyes, looking for Hermione across the common room.

"Well, I'll see you at Quidditch practice tomorrow, goodnight." Ginny said, giving him a small hug and turning to head up to the girl's dormitories.

"Night." Harry said, already heading in the direction of Hermione who was in a corner sorting through her Muggle Studies work.

"So, who did you pick then?" She asked without looking up as Harry approached.

"Oliver Wood and Gwenog Jones." Harry said, moving a pile of OWL past papers from a chair so that he could sit down.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well I understand why you picked Wood, but why Jones?" She asked, not looking impressed with either choice.

"Apparently, Montague, Davis, and the twins all have a thing for her." Harry said with a shrug. "Cedric didn't seem too pleased with either choice and Ginny was annoyed that the only chose Jones because 'she's fit'."

"I'm not surprised." Hermione said thoughtfully, putting down her quill. "It's ridiculous that you lot can't just look at her and see a Quidditch player rather than objectifying her like that, she's a professional not someone hired for men to ogle."

Harry held up his hands as Hermione turned to glare at him. "I never said anything like that but if it makes you feel better we can ogle the male players together, it might help with some of the issues of gender inequality in sports. Although, you _could_ argue that Quidditch is more progressive in that it allows mixed teams, in fact the Harpies are the only non-mixed team in the country so really we should be more concerned with their blatant sexism, than the sexism of the men who ogle the female players."

"Or maybe we could just not objectify people altogether." Hermione said with a small shrug.

"Objectification isn't good, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of harmless ogling- apparently Krum feels the same."

Hermione looked at Harry oddly, as though for the first time in her life she didn't really understand what Harry meant. "What?"

"According to Ginny he was eying you up all through dinner."

Hermione laughed, looking slightly uncomfortable at Harry's suggestion. "Don't be silly, Ginny's a bit obsessed with pairing people up at the moment."

"She just wants me to be happy. She never mentioned anything about it until I told her I liked Seamus, she's just trying to be supportive of me since she knows no one else in the wizarding world will be." Harry said, thinking fondly about how supportive Ginny really was of him. "As for Bill and Tonks; when Percy was killed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley couldn't cope, they'd just lost their son, so Bill had to be strong for all of them, he planned the funeral, looked after everyone and sorted out all the practical issues that needed to be dealt with. Bill was there for the Weasleys and when he finally broke down, Tonks was there for him; I think she was friends with Percy and was in Charlie's year at school. Bill kept his family together and she kept him from falling apart."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, collecting the parchment on the table into a binder.

"Ginny told me, I asked her if she really thought Tonks and Bill were together and she said she'd already asked Bill about it. Apparently Tonks was the first person to make him laugh after Percy died and from the way Ginny said it I think that must be a big deal for the Weasleys. It must be odd for him though, wanting to be with someone that he started talking to whilst planning his brother's funeral." Harry smiled thoughtfully, wondering if Ginny was right about Krum and Hermione. She'd been right about Bill and Tonks before she'd talked to her brother and she'd noticed that Harry certainly liked Seamus, even if he had been the one to tell her about it.

"She seemed nice, I'm glad she was right about them-"

"But she's wrong about Krum." Harry finished for her, feeling more unhappy than he should have at her rejection of Ginny's suggestion. He hated the idea that anyone would look at Hermione like _that_, but what was worse was Hermione's belief that no one would look at her in that way.

Harry stood up, stretched, and walked around the table to kiss Hermione on her cheek. "I'm off to bed, don't be so quick to dismiss the idea that someone might fancy you though; if you weren't like my sister and I didn't prefer blokes, I'd definitely be in love with you. You're the most brilliant person in this school... we'd probably be already married."


End file.
